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SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/drone-runway-number-magnetic-heading

A runway's centerline points about 183 degrees magnetic. What is its runway number?

Runway 18, the nearest 10 degrees with the last zero dropped.

  1. Runway 3
  2. Runway 18 ✔
  3. Runway 81

Why: Runway numbers come from the magnetic direction of the centerline, rounded to the nearest 10 degrees, then shortened. So 183 rounds to 180, which becomes 18.

Huh, didn't know that: The other end of the same strip is numbered for the opposite direction, so runway 18 is also runway 36.

The dad joke
Why do runways have numbers? So pilots know which way to turn.
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Sources

  1. Aeronautical Information Manual 4-3 https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/atpubs/aim_html/chap4_section_3.html
  2. FAA Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge, Ch. 14 Airport Operations https://www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/16_phak_ch14.pdf

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