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Hello everyone,

I've been reading on Runway heading numbers just wanted to check if I got this correct.

If you hear runway 8, this means 080.
Runway 12 would be means 120

If 8 means 080 what if you mean 008 or can't you have 008 as a runway designation ?
If you have 010,020,030,040,050,060,070,090 then 100, is runway 1 pointing at 010 and runway 10 points at 100 degrees ?

Is this correct ?

Just found it confusing. Sounds to me it should have the full number of the number in degrees so it would be runway 080 or 010 rather than rwy 8 or rwy 1

Thanks everyone.

Yes that's sort of correct. Runways are numbered to the heading. But it's only two digits. So if the runway has a heading of 008 it'll be runway 01. Heading 015 will be 02. The charts of the airport will tell you the exact runway heading in case you're interested.

I'm guessing they don't have three digits so it's not so easy to be confused.

Yeah, and also because they are not "exact" but more like nomenclature thing. There are cases where the runway's number is not exactly what would be expected from its precise magnetic heading. This is because the magnetic declination varies constantly over time and runways are re-numbered only so often (but they still are).

So, if one finds a runway that is a bit off from the "correct" range of headings for a given runway number in the simulator, it may actually be correct.

(Edit: quickly searching for a real-world example, the runway 12-30 in Oulu (EFOU) is actually pointed 111°/291° magnetic.)

-Esa

And a real would example for renaming is Burg Feuersten EDQE close to Nurnberg Germany. The airport used to have a runway of 27-09 and now has 26-08

Also, magnetic compasses are hard to read while maneuvering around near an airfield. When on approach to a unfamiliar airport and I brief for the runway, if I read or hear "09", I think "mostly east." They do rename them every now and then when it gets too far off. I don't know what the tolerance is though.

I'm not sure there are any particular tolerances to the renumbering, at least the few texts I've read briefly consider the runway markings as if they were accurate to the rule, whereas they clearly are not always. So..likely they are re-numbered when the audit mandates! Maybe there is some guideline accepted, I don't know.

There are also some interesting differences in between FAA and other authorities: for instance, FAA doesn't allow for runway 09 - it would be runway 9, without leading zero. Also, FAA allows for runway of 195° for instance to be designated either 19 or 20, whereas the international rule implies 'regular' rounding (to the higher number in that case). Moreover, the rules of more than three parallel runways get messy so to say, grouping the runways into two arbitrary sets using two adjacent numbers!

So I just think it as a name of the runway! Of course, conveniently giving the rough azimuth of it.

-Esa

Piper_EEWL wrote:Yes that's sort of correct. Runways are numbered to the heading. But it's only two digits. So if the runway has a heading of 008 it'll be runway 01. Heading 015 will be 02. The charts of the airport will tell you the exact runway heading in case you're interested.

I'm guessing they don't have three digits so it's not so easy to be confused.

WHoah hang on....how is 008 runway 1 ? Is it because 008 is close to 010 and 015 would be close to 20 because it goes up by 10s ?

I was just curious that if someone says runway 8, does it means 008 or 080

08 or 8 (as in FAA-land) would mean 080 degrees magnetic or thereabouts.

Just think it that the runway number is its approximate direction in tens of degrees.

-Esa

Styggron wrote: Woah hang on....how is 008 runway 1 ? Is it because 008 is close to 010 and 015 would be close to 20 because it goes up by 10s ?

I was just curious that if someone says runway 8, does it means 008 or 080

Yes correct. 08 means 80 degrees. 008 would be rounded to 01.

Piper_EEWL wrote:

Styggron wrote: Woah hang on....how is 008 runway 1 ? Is it because 008 is close to 010 and 015 would be close to 20 because it goes up by 10s ?

I was just curious that if someone says runway 8, does it means 008 or 080

Yes correct. 08 means 80 degrees. 008 would be rounded to 01.

Thanks for that.

You're welcome!