Controlled procedures for the Airfield Lighting Control & Monitoring System — start-up, shutdown, user access, CCR remote control, brightness control, status/alarm monitoring, event and data logging, PLC/HMI operation, network communication, backup, configuration management and functional testing.
Important — ALCMS procedures shall always follow the approved control philosophy, cause-and-effect matrix, HMI/SCADA design, PLC logic, network architecture, cybersecurity requirements, CCR manufacturer's documentation and airport operational procedures. Exact command permissions, alarm priorities, reset logic, communication protocols and backup procedures shall be site-specific.
To establish a controlled procedure for starting the ALCMS and verifying that the system is ready for operational control and monitoring.
Verify:
ALCMS shall not be released for operational control until critical communication, control and monitoring functions are confirmed.
Critical Rule — Do not assume that shutting down an ALCMS workstation automatically switches the airfield lighting to a safe operational state. Verify the actual control architecture.
To safely shut down ALCMS equipment without unintentionally affecting required airfield lighting operations.
To ensure only authorized personnel access ALCMS functions.
Where configured, access may be divided into:
Critical Principle — Command → CCR response → Lighting response → ALCMS feedback must be verified.
To establish a controlled procedure for remotely controlling CCRs through ALCMS.
To establish controlled selection of AGL lighting intensity through ALCMS.
Brightness settings shall be based on the approved airport operational philosophy and applicable aerodrome requirements.
To continuously monitor the operational status of AGL equipment through ALCMS.
Where available:
To establish a systematic method for monitoring AGL alarms.
The site alarm philosophy may classify alarms as:
Critical
Potentially affecting safe operation.
Major
Significant equipment/system malfunction.
Minor
Maintenance or non-critical abnormal condition.
Advisory
Information requiring observation.
Important — Acknowledging an alarm does not mean the fault has been cleared.
To ensure alarms are acknowledged without masking the underlying fault.
Critical Rule — Do not repeatedly reset a recurring alarm without investigating its cause.
To establish controlled resetting of ALCMS alarms.
To ensure significant AGL control events are captured accurately.
To establish a systematic review of ALCMS event history.
Event logs can help identify:
To ensure operational and equipment data required for monitoring, analysis and maintenance are recorded.
To verify communication between ALCMS and connected field equipment.
Important — PLC logic changes shall be controlled through the approved configuration/change-control process.
To verify reliable communication between the ALCMS and programmable logic controller (PLC) system.
To establish standardized operation of the Human-Machine Interface (HMI).
May include:
Cybersecurity — Do not connect unauthorized devices to the ALCMS network.
To verify ALCMS network connectivity.
Golden Test — HMI indication ≈ PLC status ≈ CCR status ≈ actual equipment condition within the defined system architecture.
To verify that ALCMS status information corresponds to the actual field equipment.
Critical Rule — A backup is not considered successful merely because a file was created. Backup integrity and recoverability must be verified according to the approved recovery procedure.
To maintain recoverable copies of critical ALCMS configuration and operational data.
Critical Rule — No undocumented configuration change shall be accepted into the operational ALCMS.
To prevent unauthorized or undocumented changes to ALCMS configuration.
To verify complete ALCMS functionality following commissioning, modification, maintenance or periodic testing.
Control
Monitoring
Alarms
Communication
Records
Recovery
The master control workflow, alarm management workflow, quality hold points, common failure modes and master checklist that apply across all 20 Division 14 procedures.
The following sequence should be applied for every ALCMS control action:
The following sequence should be applied for every alarm:
Important distinction: Alarm Acknowledged ≠ Alarm Cleared ≠ Fault Repaired. These are three different conditions and should remain clearly distinguishable in the ALCMS.
The control/commissioning team should confirm:
“Never trust a control command merely because the HMI accepted it. A reliable ALCMS must prove the complete chain: authorized command → communication → PLC/control logic → CCR response → actual AGL equipment response → feedback → alarm/event recording. The displayed status must represent the actual field condition.”
Each project should adapt these SOPs to its own approved ALCMS architecture, control philosophy, cause-and-effect matrix, HMI/SCADA design, PLC logic, network architecture, cybersecurity requirements and CCR manufacturer's documentation.
Approved control philosophy, cybersecurity policy and manufacturer's instructions shall take precedence wherever they impose more restrictive requirements.
Technical references behind the procedures in this division:
References are given at document or chapter level for technical orientation. Confirm the current edition, amendments and national adoption (for example DGCA CAR Section 4, FAA Advisory Circulars or EASA material) for each project. Approved project specifications, manufacturer instructions and the airport's own procedures take precedence, as stated in the precedence note above.
Quick answers about ALCMS / Control & Monitoring SOPs in the AGL SOP Library.
Division 14 is a set of 20 procedures (SOP-281 to SOP-300, Rev 0) for the Airfield Lighting Control & Monitoring System. It covers start-up, shutdown, user access, CCR remote control, brightness control, status and alarm monitoring, event and data logging, PLC/HMI operation, network communication, backup, configuration management and functional testing.
The approved control philosophy, cause-and-effect matrix, HMI/SCADA design, PLC logic, network architecture, cybersecurity requirements, CCR manufacturer's documentation and airport operational procedures. Command permissions, alarm priorities, reset logic, communication protocols and backup procedures are site-specific.
No. Alarm Acknowledged is not the same as Alarm Cleared, which is not the same as Fault Repaired, and the ALCMS should keep these three conditions clearly distinguishable (SOP-288). Acknowledge without masking the underlying fault, then initiate troubleshooting.
No. Do not repeatedly reset a recurring alarm without investigating its cause (SOP-289). Identify the root condition, confirm corrective action, verify the equipment is safe, reset using the approved command, and confirm the alarm clears and the equipment returns to normal.
Alarm generated, identify equipment, check priority, assess operational impact, acknowledge, investigate the root condition, correct the fault, reset, verify normal status, review the event log and close the alarm.
Use individually assigned credentials, confirm your user identity and role, do not share credentials or use another person's account, do not write passwords on the console, do not bypass access control, lock or log out when leaving the workstation, and report suspected unauthorized access (SOP-283).
Not merely because a file was created. Integrity and recoverability must be verified per the approved recovery procedure (SOP-298). Backups may include the PLC program, HMI application, ALCMS, alarm, user and network configuration, and the database, and each is labeled with date, system version and configuration revision.
User login, system health check, PLC/network/CCR communication check, equipment status verification, alarm review, authorized CCR command, brightness command, then observing CCR response, field lighting response and ALCMS feedback, followed by event recording, data logging and operational monitoring.
Knowing the operating procedure is essential. Understanding how ALCMS architecture, alarms and control logic actually work takes deeper technical knowledge.
Learn through structured training covering:
Develop the technical foundation to work with AGL systems systematically, safely and confidently.
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