Narrative:

It has been my experience in 20 yrs of airline flying that airports are getting darker: approach lights, runway lights, and taxiway lights are not as bright as they used to be. In comparison to the british we do not hold a candle to them! Specifically I had a problem last night landing at phl at xa:20 local. I briefed landing on runway 27R with a right turn off from the runway on to taxiway T. On rollout, the center line lights of taxiway K4 went by and I started looking for taxiway T. In daylight I would use a visual on the taxiway to plan my slow down. Last night I had to slow down and look for taxiway T. When I finally figured out where it should be, I was shocked how dark it was. It was black asphalt. There were some blue taxiway lights, but they were too far off from the runway. Mostly there were L382 reflectors in place and the taxiway had no centerline lighting. The way I actually found the T taxiway was by noticing a difference in the way the white runway lights on my right were displayed and because it was so dark at that spot that it caught my attention. When I started my turn from the runway on to what I thought was the taxiway, I used extreme caution. With better lighting it would not be that way. All my senses said that is where I should be but I was not positive. It was only after I started the turn that my landing lights shined on the taxiway pavement and other objects was it confirmed to me that I had found taxiway T. Phl commercial chart does not have a general remark to show that the majority of the txwys are only marked with L853 reflectors. They are inadequate. Aviation circular 150/5340-24 says they are only to be used at non busy airports. Unfortunately, I am seeing them at more large airports like phl and dfw. With the current emphasis on stopping runway incursions, I would think marking txwys clearly for night use would be a goal. Every airport I have landed at in the united kingdom has had great lighting, day or night. Do they have a runway incursion problem? Please stop the abolishment of blue taxiway lights at major airports! Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter indicated that in the united states, the airport lights appear to be dimmer than they use to be. He mentions that a lot of times when low visibility conditions exist, that he notices the pavement before the lights during an ILS approach. He stated that he knows for a fact the phl, ord, and sfo airport lights are intensity controled by time of sunset and sunrise. This is a problem because during times of low visibility it can be very hard to see the lights. Another area of concern that the reporter has is the lack of standards that airports have with concern to lighting. For example sometimes there are not taxiway centerline turn off lights. Sometimes there are and they are green. Then at ord there are, but they are alternating green and white. In this case, the reporter found it very difficult to see the taxiway lights at phl because they were very dim and there were no turn off lights.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B 737 CAPT IS CONCERNED ABOUT THE LACK OF TXWY CTRLINE LIGHTS AT BUSY ARPTS AND THE LOW INTENSITY OF OTHER ARPT LIGHTING SYSTEMS.

Narrative: IT HAS BEEN MY EXPERIENCE IN 20 YRS OF AIRLINE FLYING THAT ARPTS ARE GETTING DARKER: APCH LIGHTS, RWY LIGHTS, AND TXWY LIGHTS ARE NOT AS BRIGHT AS THEY USED TO BE. IN COMPARISON TO THE BRITISH WE DO NOT HOLD A CANDLE TO THEM! SPECIFICALLY I HAD A PROB LAST NIGHT LNDG AT PHL AT XA:20 LCL. I BRIEFED LNDG ON RWY 27R WITH A R TURN OFF FROM THE RWY ON TO TXWY T. ON ROLLOUT, THE CTR LINE LIGHTS OF TXWY K4 WENT BY AND I STARTED LOOKING FOR TXWY T. IN DAYLIGHT I WOULD USE A VISUAL ON THE TXWY TO PLAN MY SLOW DOWN. LAST NIGHT I HAD TO SLOW DOWN AND LOOK FOR TXWY T. WHEN I FINALLY FIGURED OUT WHERE IT SHOULD BE, I WAS SHOCKED HOW DARK IT WAS. IT WAS BLACK ASPHALT. THERE WERE SOME BLUE TXWY LIGHTS, BUT THEY WERE TOO FAR OFF FROM THE RWY. MOSTLY THERE WERE L382 REFLECTORS IN PLACE AND THE TXWY HAD NO CTRLINE LIGHTING. THE WAY I ACTUALLY FOUND THE T TXWY WAS BY NOTICING A DIFFERENCE IN THE WAY THE WHITE RWY LIGHTS ON MY R WERE DISPLAYED AND BECAUSE IT WAS SO DARK AT THAT SPOT THAT IT CAUGHT MY ATTENTION. WHEN I STARTED MY TURN FROM THE RWY ON TO WHAT I THOUGHT WAS THE TXWY, I USED EXTREME CAUTION. WITH BETTER LIGHTING IT WOULD NOT BE THAT WAY. ALL MY SENSES SAID THAT IS WHERE I SHOULD BE BUT I WAS NOT POSITIVE. IT WAS ONLY AFTER I STARTED THE TURN THAT MY LNDG LIGHTS SHINED ON THE TXWY PAVEMENT AND OTHER OBJECTS WAS IT CONFIRMED TO ME THAT I HAD FOUND TXWY T. PHL COMMERCIAL CHART DOES NOT HAVE A GENERAL REMARK TO SHOW THAT THE MAJORITY OF THE TXWYS ARE ONLY MARKED WITH L853 REFLECTORS. THEY ARE INADEQUATE. AVIATION CIRCULAR 150/5340-24 SAYS THEY ARE ONLY TO BE USED AT NON BUSY ARPTS. UNFORTUNATELY, I AM SEEING THEM AT MORE LARGE ARPTS LIKE PHL AND DFW. WITH THE CURRENT EMPHASIS ON STOPPING RWY INCURSIONS, I WOULD THINK MARKING TXWYS CLEARLY FOR NIGHT USE WOULD BE A GOAL. EVERY ARPT I HAVE LANDED AT IN THE UNITED KINGDOM HAS HAD GREAT LIGHTING, DAY OR NIGHT. DO THEY HAVE A RWY INCURSION PROB? PLEASE STOP THE ABOLISHMENT OF BLUE TXWY LIGHTS AT MAJOR ARPTS! CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR INDICATED THAT IN THE UNITED STATES, THE ARPT LIGHTS APPEAR TO BE DIMMER THAN THEY USE TO BE. HE MENTIONS THAT A LOT OF TIMES WHEN LOW VIS CONDITIONS EXIST, THAT HE NOTICES THE PAVEMENT BEFORE THE LIGHTS DURING AN ILS APCH. HE STATED THAT HE KNOWS FOR A FACT THE PHL, ORD, AND SFO ARPT LIGHTS ARE INTENSITY CTLED BY TIME OF SUNSET AND SUNRISE. THIS IS A PROB BECAUSE DURING TIMES OF LOW VIS IT CAN BE VERY HARD TO SEE THE LIGHTS. ANOTHER AREA OF CONCERN THAT THE RPTR HAS IS THE LACK OF STANDARDS THAT ARPTS HAVE WITH CONCERN TO LIGHTING. FOR EXAMPLE SOMETIMES THERE ARE NOT TXWY CTRLINE TURN OFF LIGHTS. SOMETIMES THERE ARE AND THEY ARE GREEN. THEN AT ORD THERE ARE, BUT THEY ARE ALTERNATING GREEN AND WHITE. IN THIS CASE, THE RPTR FOUND IT VERY DIFFICULT TO SEE THE TXWY LIGHTS AT PHL BECAUSE THEY WERE VERY DIM AND THERE WERE NO TURN OFF LIGHTS.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.