Visual glossary
Parallel stripes across the full runway width marking the start of the part usable for landing.
Arrows before the threshold stripes: usable for taxi, take-off and roll-out, but not for landing.
A dashed white line down the runway's centre for directional guidance.
Paired rectangles at intervals from the threshold, marking the touchdown zone.
Two wide rectangles a fixed distance beyond the threshold, a visual glideslope aim reference.
Magnetic heading rounded to the nearest 10°, at the threshold. Parallel runways add L, C or R.
A large X at each end (and sometimes along the length) of a closed runway. Do not use.
A single continuous yellow line down the taxiway centre, follow it to stay clear of the edges.
Two continuous yellow lines along the pavement edge: do not cross, the surface beyond may be unusable.
Two dashed lines then two solid lines. Never cross the solid pair toward the runway without a clearance.
White on red. A runway holding position, or another point you must not pass without clearance.
Yellow on black, yellow border, no arrow. Identifies the taxiway or runway you are currently on.
Black on yellow, no border, with an arrow. Shows which taxiway to take ahead.
Quiz
What does this mean?
The colour is the code
Markings: white for runway, yellow for taxiway
White markings belong to the runway. Yellow markings belong to taxiways. That single rule tells you, at a glance and even through a dirty windscreen, which surface you're looking at.
Signs: red stops you, yellow tells you where you are
Red signs are mandatory instructions, treat them like a stop sign until told otherwise. Yellow signs are informational: a location sign (bordered) says where you are, a direction sign (no border, with an arrow) says where a taxiway leads.
Solid lines mean stop, dashed lines mean you may proceed
At a runway holding position, the solid pair of lines is the one you don't cross toward the runway without a clearance (or, at a non-towered field, without confirming it's clear). Coming the other way, off the runway, the dashed lines tell you that you're clear of the runway once past them.
When signs and charts disagree
Airport layouts change. If a sign, marking or your chart seem to contradict each other, or anything looks unfamiliar, stop, ask ATC or Flight Information if available, and don't guess your way across a runway.