Arresting gear markers
An arresting gear marker is a yellow circle on a black background, facing both runway directions, that marks where an aircraft arresting system spans the runway — so crews know an engagement point is ahead.
![[Arresting gear marker] Yellow disc on a black background in a gray-framed sign box](/_next/image?url=%2F_next%2Fstatic%2Fmedia%2Farresting-gear-marker.1_gh21o2v6v30.png&w=3840&q=75)
What an arresting gear marker is
An arresting gear marker (AGM) tells a pilot that an aircraft arresting system crosses the runway ahead. Arresting systems — a cable or barrier that engages an aircraft to bring it to a stop — are found chiefly at military and joint-use airfields. The marker identifies the location of the arresting cable so the flight crew know an engagement point is there.
The AGM is a yellow circle on a black background, mounted at the runway edge and facing both runway directions, so it reads the same to traffic approaching from either end.
An FAA sign type
The arresting gear marker is an FAA sign type. It is not an L-858 type of its own: FAA advisory circular AC 150/5345-44L (Specification for Runway and Taxiway Signs) bases the marker on the Size 4 runway distance remaining sign (L-858B) for its panel dimensions, and the marker face itself is specified in AC 150/5220-9A (Aircraft Arresting Systems on Civil Airports), §11.
Per AC 150/5220-9A §11, the AGM face is a yellow translucent circle approximately 39 inches (1 metre) in diameter, on a black background, presented toward both runway directions. Taking its dimensions from the Size 4 sign, the marker panel is 48 inches (1220 mm) high, with an overall mounting height of 54 to 60 inches (1370 to 1520 mm) once the legs are included.
ICAO Annex 14 Volume I and EASA CS-ADR-DSN do not standardise the arresting gear marker, so this page describes the FAA marker and does not attribute its geometry to ICAO or EASA.
How it reads
- A single yellow circle — no legend to read.
- Black sign and message background; the circle is the message.
- Circle roughly 39 in (1 m) across, facing both runway directions.
- Panel height 48 in (1220 mm), from the Size 4 sign basis.
The marker is a location cue, not an instruction: it tells the crew the arresting cable is here.
Draw them in Wingframe
Wingframe draws the arresting gear marker to FAA geometry — the yellow circle, its diameter and the Size 4 panel it is built on — so the marker you design matches the AC 150/5220-9A and AC 150/5345-44L specification it will be built and inspected against. See what Wingframe can do.