I Misread the PAPI Lights Today
So today, while I was on final to land, I misread the PAPI lights at my local airport. It was a bright, sunny day with relatively clear conditions and with no apparent mist or fog in the air. On final, I glanced at the PAPI’s and could have sworn I saw 4 whites, when in reality, they were 4 reds.. soon after realising, (judging my actual height above the ground compared to where I would usually expect to be) I climbed higher and then was able to clearly see the difference when the others began changing to white.
The PAPI’s at my local airport have never been overly vibrant, except at night. The white, for example, is more of a yellow color, which is what I thought I was seeing when in fact they were all a mild red.. I’m not sure if the conditions or anything else played a part in this.
As you can imagine, this has concerned me a little as it’s the first time I’ve thought to descend in a situation where I should have climbed.
I’m wondering if anyone has ever experienced anything similar to this before? I’m trying to figure out whether this is a normal occurrence or if I should be worried. Any advice would be helpful!
Last edited by Matt45609; 27th Oct 2023 at 00:19.