Legends

On a sectional chart several different symbols indicate airport lights. A star with an open center, such as the one atop the Conway-Horry County Airport symbol in the example, indicates that the airport has a rotating or flashing beacon that operates from sunset to sunrise. The color or color combination of the beacon and/or its auxiliary lights indicates whether the beacon identifies a landing place, landmark, or hazard.

The sectional doesn't specify what the beacon identifies, but the Airport/Facility Directory does. Generally, when the symbol is attached to an airport symbol, the beacon identifies the airport. Beacons at civilian land airports flash alternating green and white lights 12 to 30 times a minute. An alternating white and yellow beacon identifies a water airport.

The airport might also have a code beacon, which flashes the airport's three- or four-character identifier in Morse code. The code flashes six to eight times a minute, and a green light identifies a land airport and a yellow light identifies a water airport.

If an airport has a beacon, it usually has other airport lights as well. The letter L right after the airport's elevation confirms this fact and indicates that the runway lights are always on during hours of darkness.

If the L is preceded by an asterisk (*L), it means pilots must consult another source, such as the A/FD, because of some limitations on the lights. Often, it means the lights are pilot controlled, and the A/FD gives the frequency and how many times a pilot must key the microphone to activate the lights.

If the rotating beacon symbol is not attached to an airport symbol, it's probably a course light. A pilot can clearly see it from one direction only, and a course light is used only with rotating beacons of the federal airway system. Two course lights, back to back, direct coded flashing beams of light in each direction along the course of an airway.

Course beacons are remnants of the "lighted" airways that came before today's electronic airway system. Only a few of these beacons exist today, and they mark airway segments in remote mountain areas. Flashes in Morse code identify the site.