Inane question
 

Resident pilots or flight attendants: What the heck does "1L 1R" "2L 2R" mean on take-off or landing? I hope you're not counting the wings.

Someone who flies will undoubtedly give you a more correct version, but here goes:

The numbers refer to points/degrees, 0 through 360, on the compass without the usual last digit. A runway running exactly east to west will be runway 9 or 27, depending on whether you're looking eastward or westward (but see below). The R and L refer to left or right where there are two parallel runways.

So "2R" would be the right-hand runway running more or less between NNE and due N at 20 degrees off of due north.

That's as far as I can get it, because the one remaining point I always confuse myself on is whether it's numbered from the point of view of approach or departure (i.e., if you are landing at sunset on runway 9, are you heading into the sun or is it behind you?).

Hi,

Alternatively if it is the Flight Attendants saying 1L,1R, 2L,2R, it is probably the FA's at their respective doors 1L being the front door on the left hand side, 2R being the second door on the right hand side etc

Flight crew and Air Traffic Controllers would use the runway descripption given by CFC.

Regards

TBS

It does refer to the doors and you most likely have heard the reference as part of "all-call". Upon push-back and at arrival, when arming or disarming the slides on the doors, f/as are required to respond to all-call (usually via the intercom phone) stating that their respective doors have been either armed or disarmed and cross-checked. 1L is most often the boarding door.

That's it exactly, purple. Thanks for your explanations. I feel better now.

to answer cfc's question, if you are landing on Runway 9, you are flying due east (9 = 90 degrees on a 360 degree compass, which corresponds to due east). If you prefer to think of a clock face instead, you are passing from 9 to 3 on the clock face.

Thanks niskyboss. Guess why they call it a "heading"!