Runway-holding position sign

What the runway-holding position sign is

A runway-holding position sign stands at the runway-holding position — the point on a taxiway or apron where an aircraft must stop before it enters a runway. It is a mandatory instruction sign, so it carries a white inscription on a red background, and it is placed alongside the painted holding-position markings on the pavement. Together, the sign and the markings tell the pilot exactly where to stop and hold for clearance.

Holding short of the runway at this sign is one of the primary defences against a runway incursion, which is why the instruction is given in the airfield's most conspicuous colours.

One page, several related red signs

"Runway holding position sign" is the FAA's name (mandatory instruction sign, equipment type L-858R) for the red sign at the hold-short point of a runway, widely called the hold short sign. ICAO Annex 14 Volume I is more granular: clause 5.4.2.2 lists several distinct mandatory instruction signs that appear at or around a runway-holding position, each with its own inscription rule. This page covers that family; the three you will meet most often are:

• Runway designation sign (ICAO 5.4.2.14) — shows the runway designation, for example 09-27. This is the sign that most directly corresponds to the FAA "hold short" sign.
• Runway-holding position sign (ICAO 5.4.2.17) — shows a taxiway designation and a number, for example A1, at the pattern A/B holding positions established for lower-visibility operations.
• Category I / II / III holding position sign (ICAO 5.4.2.15) — shows the runway designator followed by the category, for example 23 CAT II/III (the sign illustrated above).

The same distinctions apply under EASA CS-ADR-DSN. Whatever the subtype, a red sign here means the same thing: do not cross without a clearance.

What each one displays

• A runway designation sign carries the designations of the intersecting runway, oriented to the viewing position — for example 09-27, or a single designation such as 27 near a runway extremity (ICAO Annex 14 5.4.2.14).
• A runway-holding position sign, provided at a runway-holding position established under Annex 14 3.12.3, carries the taxiway designation and a number — for example A1 — identifying that specific holding position (ICAO Annex 14 5.4.2.17).
• A category holding position sign carries the runway designator followed by CAT I, CAT II, CAT III, CAT II/III or CAT I/II/III (ICAO Annex 14 5.4.2.15).

Category I / II / III holding positions

Where a runway is served by an instrument landing system, the point an aircraft holds at depends on the ILS protection in use. Lower-visibility Category II and III operations need a larger protected area, so the holding position sits further back from the runway.

The category holding position sign at that point shows the runway designator followed by the category — for example 23 CAT II or 23 CAT II/III (ICAO Annex 14 5.4.2.15) — so the crew knows which holding position they are at and, by implication, which operations it protects. The illustration above shows a Category II/III holding position sign for runway 23.

Draw it in Wingframe

Every proportion of a runway-holding position sign — character height, the red field, the optional black outline, the spacing of the designation — is defined by the standard you are working to. Wingframe draws it to ICAO, EASA or FAA geometry for you, so what you hand to the sign manufacturer is right the first time. See why teams use Wingframe.