What does this marking mean on the taxiway? (Picture from Google Maps, Boston Logan International Airport)
Posted by Phil-X-603@reddit | aviation | View on Reddit | 85 comments
OptimalScore4476@reddit
As everyone said it’s the non-movement area boundary, but I wanted to expand a little more. What that basically means is only designed vehicles(ie: airport ops, fire and emergency, and of course aircraft) that have communication with the ramp/ground/atc tower can go in this area. Drivers in this area(other than aircraft crew) have specific(and in my case boring) training on going in this area.
Source- I work in aircraft maintenance.
unexpectedit3m@reddit
What kind of situation would require you to drive past this line? I guess you don't have to go there every day?
Holiday_Bat_9938@reddit
I’m an Airfield Electrician at one of NYCs major airports and almost every minute of my time is spent on the airfield side of that line working on runway and taxiway lighting, signs and wiring. There are dozens of vehicles everyday that are required to operate on the other side of that line so that necessary repairs, inspections and preventative maintenance.
It definitely requires training to be out there. Not only because it requires one to be comfortable and familiar with the locations, markings, lighting and proper procedures for driving out there, but also because it is a rapidly changing environment that requires situational awareness because aircrafts are moving in all directions. That means you must have the ability to monitor the radios (usually multiple), understand where you are, understand where the aircrafts are being directed to go, determine their proximity to your location and calculate a way to maintain safe distances so as not to impede their movement… and do all of that while actually performing the tasks you are out there to perform in the first place.
727Super27@reddit
Airport operations guys getting bored in the middle of the night and want to jam down the taxiway at 100mph.
tmonguy@reddit
This guy ops.
PaladinAus@reddit
We used to have to do it frequently. Our ops vehicles were diesel Ute's, that spent probably 16 hours a day with the engine idling. We needed to get them hot to get some heat into the DPF or they'd go in to limp mode.
Closed runways were always good for it too.
727Super27@reddit
Just what a bored ops guy would say.
josh0861@reddit
Regularly if you’re airport operations for daily required inspections of the movement area
SirEnricoFermi@reddit
Some parking locations require an aircraft to get tugged a pretty far distance to their parking spot
HopefulCartoonist326@reddit
Driving a car/truck out there is fairly uncommon. *Very* rarely there will be a test (Ops check) that requires the aircraft to be on a taxiway/runway and somebody has to be on the ground to watch/do the test. (generally this is only for running up the engines if a blast fence isn't available or the wind is blowing he wrong way to use a blast fence) In that case we would have a truck with a radio follow the plane out. Not a frequent occurrence though. Taxiing out there in an aircraft to run tests is fairly common though.
BlackbeltJedi@reddit
To add to this: the airport itself will need regular access, pavement of runways must be inspected on a daily basis, and someone has to respond to all the reports of FOD. When a ground crew needs to reposition a plane without a flight crew, they are likely to receive an escort through the movement area (although procedures and operational needs will vary between airports). Police and Security must also maintain the fence and may need some edge use of the movement area occasionally. When there is construction or work being done within the movement area, contractors will often be escorted out to the site at the start of the day, and off the field at the end of their workday. In the event of an emergency, ARFF and EMS will of course need to enter the movement area as well.
OptimalScore4476@reddit
For the airline I work for and the airport I work at, it’s 2 to 3 times a week even to taxi for ops checks. We have no hanger so off to the run up block we go!
ma33a@reddit
Aircraft tug. Safety car. Airport operations vehicle.
StreetBackground1644@reddit
The denote the movement* area from the non-movement or in this case what appears to be an outer VSR. Notice the yellow and black zippers are on the taxi way side.
Altruistic_Apple_252@reddit
What's the difference between the broken alternating while lines in the red area and the solid white line just above it?
I'm referring to the white lines parallel to and to the left of the non-movement area line.
Goodperson5656@reddit
I think it’s just to indicate that the road crosses a taxiway, and to watch for planes crossing the road to enter and exit the movement area.
nighthawke75@reddit
That does not mean the airliners get to yield to your ride. Oh, no.
Soaptowelbrush@reddit
Designated?
OptimalScore4476@reddit
Chosen? Assigned? I hear that word in training all the time maybe I used wrong.
rentec0@reddit
Designated is correct but your original comment has a typo "designed"
OptimalScore4476@reddit
Ah! Fixed it.
Protholl@reddit
So its the Gandalf line?
Graflex01867@reddit
So it’s basically the lane for non-airplane traffic on the taxiway.
cdub2103@reddit
Aircraft maintenance eh. Are you by chance a big LOTR fan?
kfbgyxyx@reddit
Non-Movement Area Boundary Marking a.k.a. the CMA. To enter this area, comms with the agency controlling this area (my airfield, it is ATC ground) must be established in order to proceed
myid4u2c@reddit
This is the road that the ground vehicles travel on very common at every large airport. They put lanes to keep it organized.
Phil-X-603@reddit (OP)
Sorry, I meant the dashed/continuous yellow line next to the driveway.
TheRonsterWithin@reddit
This can be used as a standby runway if the normal one has a crash on it or is still wet from something. The newer plane engines are “Cart Rated,” which means they’re supposed to be able to safely ingest a fully loaded baggage cart. This means they’re allowed to take off much closer to the terminal, where there is (generally) more debris/people.
louITAir@reddit
In ground vehicle training it's called the zipper. Don't cross it without tower permission if you want to keep your job!
Brillica@reddit
At Canadian airports the “zipper line” is the white and black checkered lines of a vehicle corridor crossing a taxiway.
This is called a Maneuvering Area Delimitation Line or MAD Line.
Strange that we don’t have the same terminology
Clammyhankins@reddit
If you zoom in, on the left side of the road is the “zipper line”.
Brillica@reddit
Both sides of the zipper are there, the right side butts up against the MAD line.
inphosys@reddit
Guessing they get really MAD at you if you cross the line?
I'll see myself out now.
BuddahSack@reddit
So like "breaking red" in the Air Force haha
apt64@reddit
Less tackling, more write down this number.
BuddahSack@reddit
Ahh
BuddyRickenbacker@reddit
Taxiway ?
InternationalFee1628@reddit
Non-movement Area Boundary
Phil-X-603@reddit (OP)
Thanks. Couldn't find reliable answers on Google
Kebab_Child@reddit
You can’t overtake on the right. Next question…
boodi007@reddit
Subject matter experts in the industry refer to it as “zipper” movement/non movement area
mig82au@reddit
Figure 2-3-22 Nonmovement Area Boundary Markings
https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/atpubs/aim_html/chap2_section_3.html
Fuzzy_Department_938@reddit
Or FAA Advisory Circular 150/5340-1M if you’re having problems falling asleep.
metallica239@reddit
Are you kidding?! I've referred to this specific AC so much I see it IN my sleep!
UnisexWaffleBooties@reddit
FAA..... anything, if you're having trouble falling asleep.
danit0ba94@reddit
Its two things.
As others have mentioned, its a boundary marker between the Movement Area, where the airplane and Airport Ops & emergency vehicles go.
But it is also a Vehicle Service Road. This is, for all intents and purposes the "public access road" of the airport. (Though it isn't actually accessible to the General public)
It is a designated roadway that provides all the other vehicles at the airport a way to cross taxiways, in illegal and safe manner, without having to talk to the control tower.
Baggage tugs, belt loaders, trucks, buses, transports, literally anything that's allowed to drive around the airport can use that road.
Looks like C terminal. The road that passes right by C36 and C21. Leading across the alleyway there.
I've driven over that road many times.
Samurlough@reddit
In a legal and safe manner* I think is what you meant to say
danit0ba94@reddit
Yea thats what i meant.
Thanks! Lol
Spaceman1001@reddit
That's the unemployment line. When you cross it you get to go to the unemployment line.
WubbaLubbaDabDab777@reddit
At my airport, we call that the unemployment line. Cause if you cross that line without ATC clearance, you lose your badge/job with no chance of getting it back lol. But it’s the non-movement area boundary. Planes and authorized vehicles only (typically airport operations, maintenance, emergency vehicles)
Total_Frosting_7089@reddit
The unemployment line. My gate that i work at the boundary and the safety envelope nearly touch so watch your footing when wing walking
Altruistic_Apple_252@reddit
What's the difference between the broken alternating while lines in the red area and the solid white line just above it?
I'm referring to the white lines to the left of the non-movement area line.
riinkratt@reddit
That’s just a two-lane roadway for the general ramp vehicles. It runs north/south across the alleyway like a crosswalk and has a 90° turn around the perimeter of each terminal, one at the top of the pic and one at the bottom of the pic.
Altruistic_Apple_252@reddit
Yes, but what is the difference between the northern solid line and the southern broken line?
riinkratt@reddit
lol either I’m misunderstanding or this pic will explain the roadway https://imgur.com/a/ZfUHQdE
Altruistic_Apple_252@reddit
You're misunderstanding.
For part of the roadway, the right hand most roadway edge line is an alternating broken white line. This part is the lower part of the picture. It's the blue area circled in this pic.
https://imgur.com/a/dnnu8o3
For another part of the roadway, the right had most roadway edge line is a solid white line. This part is in the upper part of the picture. It's the read area circled in my pic.
I'm not talking about the yellow non-movement area boundary.
I posted it as a separate question and the mods deleted it in 30 seconds. Don't know why.
What's the difference between those two lines?
riinkratt@reddit
Oh - yeah like the other comment says, that’s a “zipper” line - it basically marks where a non-movement roadway intersects with a movement area or active taxiway.
The zipper connects the non-movement area across the movement area. You can sort of think of them as ‘bridges’ and it’s okay to cross at these points - but take extreme caution and yield to any aircraft. Ensure the taxiway is clear and get across as fast as you can (don’t speed but also don’t dilly dally)
If there’s a zipper, you’re okay to cross, if there’s not a zipper, you are not allowed to cross. Here’s another example of zippers from DFW https://imgur.com/a/Op1gdpw
Altruistic_Apple_252@reddit
"If there’s a zipper, you’re okay to cross, if there’s not a zipper, you are not allowed to cross"
I assume you mean ground vehicles, since planes can cross inbound anywhere.
Is this in an online guide somewhere?
riinkratt@reddit
Correct the roadway is for ground vehicles. Here’s some good guides:
FAA AIRPORT MARKING AIDS AND SIGNS (Zipper lines mentioned in Section 2-3-6) - https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/atpubs/aim_html/chap2_section_3.html
https://www.faa.gov/airports/runway_safety/publications/FAA-Guide-Ground-Vehicle-Operations.pdf
LAX/LAWA STUDY GUIDE - https://www.lawa.org/-/media/lawa-web/group-and—division/operations-and-emergency-management/airport-operations/rad-program/aoa-driver-study-guide-english-language.ashx
DFW STUDY GUIDE - https://assets.ctfassets.net/m2p70vmwc019/47Klbb8JRFRoCLPKLRSXX2/17dd049367954504f0b7786ee6f06d63/Movement_Area_Familiarization_Manual_For_Vehicle_Operators.pdf
Some study guides can be found all over the internet just google ‘AOA markings’, ‘AOA driver study guide’ or something similar.
UTCiv@reddit
In this case the roadway is crossing a taxilane/taxiway, there are zipper road edge markings, where the roadway remains exclusively on the apron areas adjacent to the gates, it has a solid white edge roadway marking.
Altruistic_Apple_252@reddit
"enhanced delineation"
So there's no legal difference? It's just a "heads up" area?
Do you have a source or are you guessing? That was my guess, but I'm interested in a source.
TheSlick1987@reddit
Give way
MsJonny@reddit
Minneapolis has a similar layout like this, it's just a boundary to seperate the Non-Movement and Movement areas, basically separating the ramp to the taxiway
Rzemky@reddit
as everyone else said, yes it is basically the line that separates "ground ops" from "actively taking off and landing" areas. if you don't expressly have permission from the tower/airport ops, you could very well be terminated on the spot. i.e. port authority then confiscates your badge, rendering you unable to work at the airport
that's why we nicknamed it the unemployment line
Calm-Requirement-951@reddit
No parking...
425Kings@reddit
We’ve always referred to it as a zipper line.
Open-Entertainer-423@reddit
You can’t go beyond the line unless your communicating with the tower
F1A1-C137@reddit
“Fold here”
waffle_sheep@reddit
Jeez how did I recognize this was Boston before even reading the title.. I need to touch grass or something
nqthomas@reddit
It’s the non movement area which is ramp controlled versus the movement area which is ATC.
SpellSalt5190@reddit
Bicycle lane 😂
BrtFrkwr@reddit
It's Boston! It's the bike lane.
getbannedforbullshit@reddit
The ghost from your last lap.
camhissey@reddit
Cycle path
BenRed2006@reddit
The boundary between the non movement (gates, ramps etc) and the movement areas (ATC controlled). The reason it’s so far out in BOS is because aircraft move around in that area and it’s easier keeping it in the non movement area
ZachD07@reddit
As everyone else has said, there's an airport vehicle road towards the right and the non-movement area boundary on the left in yellow and black. I've driven on that road when I worked at Logan and always had in my head never to cross the yellow line.
The_Cosmic_Coyote@reddit
It marks a non movement area. Pretty much an uncontrolled ramp area
ComprehensiveEar7218@reddit
Shut up NeRd!
The_Cosmic_Coyote@reddit
Oh nooo I’m being bullied
Hbgplayer@reddit
As others have said, it delineate the Movement and Non-Movement areas.
Anything on the solid line side of the marking is in the "non-movement area" and can move around at their discretion without having to talk to ground control. Anything that is in the non-movement area must establish communication with ground control and receive permission to cross into the Movement area; at uncontrolled fields, they would need to state their intentions on CTAF before crossing that line.
Fly-n-Skies@reddit
Which marking, you've circled about 5 different types of markings.
If you're referring to the zipper marking, that is used on vehicle roads where aircraft taxi across them. Normal white lines are used for vehicle roads where aircraft do not taxi across them.
Raised-Right@reddit
To oversimplify, you can go into that area, but you can’t come out without permission.
sbkchs_1@reddit
“At towered airports, the airport surface area is divided into two parts: non-movement area and movement area. The non-movement area is defined as ramps and aprons and is not controlled by ATC, which means you may move or taxi the airplane without clearance or communications with the control tower. The movement area is defined as all taxiways and runways and is under the jurisdiction of the control tower, so a taxi clearance is required prior to entering into the movement area.” From PilotWorkShop website.
RRqwertty@reddit
That’s the Movement Area Line. I’ll wait for somebody to explain it further.
asarjip@reddit
As already posted, designates non-movement area boundary. I’d suggest a quick google search of “Airport markings.” That will give you all the various visual markings and their meanings.