Runway Safety - Summer Initiative
"If You Cross the Line, You’ve Crossed the Line":
FAA’s Office of Runway Safety is launching their new spring initiative to help reduce runway incursions and enhance runway safety. Our slogan is "If You Cross the Line, You’ve Crossed the Line." The program is designed to increase awareness among pilots (and vehicle operators) on the effects of entering a protected runway without clearance (thus, "crossing the line").
"Crossing the line" without permission can result in various problems such as affecting landing and departures and endangering the safety of our flying public. The program will highlight the dangers of crossing the line and urges pilots to improve vigilance will taxi instructions and airport signage.
"The crux of the new campaign is to keep runway safety as a high priority in the minds of airmen," says Director of FAA’s Runway Safety Office Wes Timmons. "By using a catchy phrase like, ‘You’ve Crossed the Line,’ we believe we can get people’s attention and convey an important surface safety awareness message that can be taken both literally and figuratively."
Our initiative targets about 30 airports throughout the FAA Regions prior to the launch of our nationwide campaign.
Interesting Campaign Facts
- Pilot deviations (PDs) comprise about 70% of all runway incursions.
- GA pilots make up some 80% of PDs.
- When pilots cross the holding position marker (“the Line”), they are entering the protected runway safety area.
- Crossing the Line after being cleared by the tower to do so (takeoff clearance; clearance to cross; position and hold) typically is not a problem. However, we encourage everyone to use care and vigilance.
- Crossing the Line without permission can affect departures, landings, and other runway operations.
- Worse yet, a collision could occur where life, limb and property are seriously jeopardized.
- Pilots are responsible for their actions and consequences could arise from an infraction.
- Crossing the Line, however, isn’t limited to its literal sense.
- Crossing the Line can occur when a taxi instruction is not read back correctly, and the wrong taxi route is followed.
- Or when a taxi clearance is not complied with, i.e. turning left onto a taxiway instead of right.
- Or when rolling down the runway and taking off after being given a “position and hold instruction”.
- Or by landing without a clearance, or on the wrong runway.
- The crux of the new campaign is to keep runway safety as a high priority in the minds of airmen; a top-of-mind element of airmanship that starts even before an airplane begins to move.