Questions tagged [airport-design]
Questions about the planning and design of airports: both the manoeuvring area itself, and the services and passenger facilities.
126
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2
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0answers
69 views
How is a new airport certified or approved to operate by international organizations?
I just read the news of a new airport in construction in Mexico (Mexico City). They seem to be starting operations in a few months.
In this case, researching a bit, it seems domestic and a Venezuelan ...
10
votes
1answer
499 views
Are there specific surface requirements prior to an ILS Category 2 runway approach threshold to ensure the accuracy of the Radio Altimeter derived DH?
ILS Category 2 approaches use a Radio Altimeter (RA) derived DH (Decision Height). An RA measures the aircraft height directly above the surface immediately below the aircraft. Any sloping terrain, ...
2
votes
1answer
184 views
Do the spaces between runways and taxiways need to be grass/scrubs?
I travel often for work and have often wondered why you don’t see more variation in the vegetation in between the runways and taxiways. It is almost always short grass (Or in desert areas scrub). It ...
7
votes
1answer
662 views
Where is KBOS runway 15R's localiser array?
Of the eight major-runway directions at KBOS, five (4R, 15R, 22L, 27, and 33L) are equipped with ILS (ILS-III for 4R and 33L, ILS-I for the rest). Four of these (4R, 22L, 27, and 33L) have a ...
8
votes
1answer
591 views
Why are only two of the five water-facing runway ends at KBOS equipped with EMAS beds?
KBOS has eight major runway ends:1 04L, 04R, 09, 15R, 22L, 22R, 27, and 33L.
As KBOS is primarily situated on (and occupies the vast majority of) a peninsula made by dumping lots of sand and dirt into ...
4
votes
1answer
367 views
Do any subterranean runways exist for airplanes?
Are there any examples of runways that are under the cover of some terrain such as a runway built into the side of a mountain as a tunnel, perhaps with an entrance and an exit on both sides to ...
1
vote
0answers
66 views
What would be a minimum ICAO Aerodrome Reference Code for C-130?
I was wondering, mostly of military planes are not mentioned by ICAO on its papers (for sure, it is dedicated to civil aviation), but it's common to see military cargo planes operating on Civil ...
4
votes
2answers
955 views
Does the angled parking scheme of London City (LCY) increase the number of aircraft that can be parked in the small apron?
While going through some articles and videos, I chanced upon a video on LCY and was surprised to see that, unlike in Dortmund, LCY has aircraft parked diagonally. Does this increase the number of bays ...
2
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3answers
333 views
Are there any airports with multi-level taxiways?
There are many airports where roads (and pedestrian walkways) are routed underneath taxiways, runways, etc. But are there any airports where airplane taxiways go under/over each other?
I can't imagine ...
0
votes
1answer
99 views
How to estimate runway length for airport master planning?
I use the manufacturer aiport planning manuals. But they are incomplete (unless for Boeing). Airbus and Embraer for example, only present range X weight charts for MTOW.
Is there a free (or affordable)...
14
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2answers
4k views
Why are most helipads in São Paulo blue coated and identified by a "P"?
ICAO Annex 14, Vol II and FAA (AC 5390-2C) standards establishes 'H' and there is no mention to coating TLOF or FATO.
Brazilian National Regulation (RBAC 155 - ANAC) does not provide any guideline for ...
2
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0answers
224 views
Why do so few non-US runways have EMAS beds?
As occurrences of an aircraft running off the end of the runway and hitting things tend to leave both the aircraft and whatever it hits rather the worse for wear, much effort over the years has gone ...
-1
votes
3answers
286 views
Why isn't there more green space on the apron? [closed]
I feel like it's a waste of concrete or asphalt. Can't they just leave some areas that don't get taxied on as grass? If taxiways are designed with green spaces in between them, why can't we see much ...
18
votes
1answer
3k views
What are those structures at Taif Regional Airport in Saudi Arabia?
I was looking at airports in Saudi Arabia and noticed a strange one. At Taif Regional Airport near Mecca there are a bunch of taxiways all seemingly randomly intersecting at different angles, each ...
1
vote
2answers
1k views
Why is ARP (Airfield Reference Point) needed?
An airport reference point is the centre point of an airport, located at the geometric centre of all the usable runways. The ARP is computed as a weighted average of the end of runway coordinates.
4
votes
1answer
185 views
Do these red stop signs apply to aircraft or only to vehicles?
I mean; do planes also see these signs on their way to runway? Or just cars and other vehicles encounter this stop sign on their service road or interconnection roads that are assigned to them?
0
votes
1answer
277 views
Can anyone explain what are the apron taxiway and aircraft holding taxiway with an illustration, please? [closed]
Note: There are 3 types of taxiway
1) Apron taxiway
2) Aircraft holding taxiway
3) Rapid exit taxiway
10
votes
2answers
1k views
Why would an ILS installation need a “reflecting surface” around the glideslope antenna?
According to the NTSB, the installation of a glideslope serving runway 11 at KHTS (Tri-State Airport, Huntington, West Virginia) was delayed for over twelve years by the lack of suitable terrain for ...
2
votes
2answers
140 views
"Gross" and "net" planned runway length for the Haifa airport
My city's mayor was just boasting on how she'd gotten an approval for an airport runway of length "2100 m gross, 1900 m net length", and that this would be enough to connect the city - Haifa - to hubs ...
26
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10answers
15k views
Why do airports have directional runways instead of a large area to operate in any direction?
Instead of a few runways in a few directions, why not have a large square block of asphalt so that planes can take off and land in any direction? Where and on what direction planes land and take off ...
22
votes
3answers
12k views
Why do airliners park with the nose facing the terminal?
A few other questions have touched on why we don't board airliners from the front and back at the same time. My question is why is it that we choose to board at the front, rather than park the ...
2
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1answer
593 views
Where to find the parking coordinates of the aircraft in the Apron?
Is it possible to find out the coordinates of where the aircraft park in an the Apron? I mean some sort of list for each terminal or aeronautical chart.
I was thinking about the AIP (Aeronautical ...
0
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6answers
695 views
Why don’t airports use jetways as an airlock to avoid having to repressurize the plane for every flight?
Seems like it could save money perhaps. Has this been considered in the past?
0
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2answers
140 views
How to find runway Centerline spacing on airport diagrams?
I know that airport diagrams show the exact position of airport runways in DMS (degrees, minutes, seconds) and therefore could use trigonometry to find how far apart runway centerlines are from ...
0
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2answers
165 views
What does "1%" mean in ICAO Annex 14 § 3.9.9 (longitudinal slope changes)?
— 1 per cent per 30 m (minimum radius of curvature of 3 000 m) where the code letter is C, D, E or F; and
— 1 per cent per 25 m (minimum radius of curvature of 2 500 m) where the code letter is A or ...
4
votes
1answer
293 views
How do airports in hot climates handle extremely high temperatures?
In June 2017 dozens of flights were cancelled in Phoenix, Arizona because of temperatures exceeding 120 degrees Fahrenheit/48.9 degrees Celsius.1,2
Hot air at a given air pressure is less dense, ...
26
votes
1answer
5k views
Why do some AFBs have planes parked at 45 degrees to others?
I'm assuming this is just a matter of available space but it seems you could get 4 across all aligned but maybe there is another reason. The image is from McGuire AFB but I've seen this on other AFBs.
0
votes
2answers
236 views
Could sprinkling cool water on the runway in hot summer decrease air density?
Why is there no such technique used where cool water gets sprinkled on a runway?
Cooling down the air above the airport would decrease air density and therefore lead to a shorter starttime for ...
4
votes
1answer
285 views
Can the clearway be located on a lake?
From the FAA AIM:
All 14 CFR Part 139 airports report declared distances for each runway. Other airports may also report declared distances for a runway if necessary to meet runway design standards ...
28
votes
4answers
14k views
Why do airports in the UK have so few runways?
Almost all of the major airports in the United Kingdom are single-runway (or functionally-single-runway) installations, with only two of the very busiest (Heathrow and Manchester) having as many as ...
1
vote
1answer
174 views
Why aren't airports built with future expansion in mind? [closed]
There are currently numerous controversies around the world in regards to airport expansion, where local residents are opposed to new runways or changes in the hours of operation. The most famous ...
2
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1answer
183 views
Is a Compass Swing Platform part of a runway or taxiway?
I am trying to work out if the compass swing platform is part of the runway or taxiway.
0
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1answer
183 views
Chicago O’Hare - Two Towers? [duplicate]
Why does ORD have two towers? I flew in there for a connecting flight this last weekend and saw two towers standing, one obviously larger than the other.
0
votes
3answers
536 views
What is the area between the taxiway and runway shown in the picture below?
Is this the Arresting area? I'm not too sure what you call this area
39
votes
1answer
5k views
Why can't some airports handle heavy aircraft while others do it easily (same runway length)?
As I've seen in this video, they operate flights from Bournemouth airport all the way to Barbados on a Boeing 787-8. As Bournemouth runway length is 2,271 m (7,451 ft), it can handle aircraft such as ...
-3
votes
3answers
671 views
Would building an airport at 30,000 ft save money?
So... this would obviously cost a ton of money initially, but long-term, I believe the savings both environmentally and financially would be returned many times over.
If a building can already be ...
63
votes
1answer
10k views
Why are Gatwick's runways too close together?
Gatwick Airport has two runways (08L/26R and 08R/26L), but they are only 200 metres apart - too close (by just ten metres) to allow simultaneous operations on both runways. As a result, usually only ...
12
votes
2answers
6k views
Why does Beijing's new Daxing airport have so few gates?
There is a lot of press about the Daxing airport, touting that it will be one of the largest in the world in terms of passenger capacity. The images of the terminal build are indeed beautiful.
But ...
1
vote
4answers
583 views
Why don't short runways use (downhill) ramps for takeoff?
This is a followup on question: Why don't short runways use ramps for takeoff?
There are multiple answers to that question that answer why an uphill ramp at the end of the runway does not make ...
39
votes
9answers
17k views
Why don't short runways use ramps for takeoff?
Say you had a runway for light aircraft, but only 700 meters or so of runway. Wouldn't it help to end the runway with a ramp that is ~40 meters above ground and slightly facing the sky at a gradient ...
2
votes
0answers
62 views
How are parallel runways named if there are more than 2 or 3? [duplicate]
I know that it's very common for runways to have a parallel neighbor, and they're normally called left and right. I have also seen some runways called "center" if there are three parallel runways.
...
34
votes
2answers
9k views
Why are Oscar, India, and X-Ray (O, I, and X) not used as taxiway identifiers?
An old CAR "Licensing of Aerodromes" document indicated that taxiways may not be designated by O, I, or X.
Is this still in effect today? Why were (or are) those not used as taxiway identifiers?
My ...
28
votes
6answers
6k views
Why do airports remove/realign runways?
When looking at Google Earth, I often find myself looking for airports. I often notice that no matter what size airport, over time many of them have abandoned old runways and built new runways in ...
3
votes
1answer
390 views
What are these protuberances on the north edge of runway 10/28 at Mataveri?
The single runway (10/28) at Mataveri International Airport (IPC/SCIP) on Rapa Nui1 has (at least according to Google Maps) a few paved protuberances emanating from partway down its northern edge ...
37
votes
4answers
4k views
Do any airports have runways or taxiways that cross active rail lines at grade?
Gibraltar has a runway which crosses an active road at grade (which, due to the peninsula’s geography and the resulting constraints on the airport’s location, happens to be the main road connecting ...
33
votes
1answer
7k views
What is the purpose of a walled area in the vicinity of Heathrow Airport?
Looking at a satellite map to the East of Heathrow Airport, there is a small passenger jet parked in a walled off area. Looking at the aerodrome chart the entire area is listed as Bealine Base, which ...
0
votes
0answers
55 views
Aerodrome category, certification?
I need to know how you tell the certification of new airport just built? how can you tell if airport is certified for International flights or not? approved for intl flights or not meeting ...
19
votes
2answers
4k views
What do these white on red words indicate on a London Heathrow taxiway chart?
What do the words in white block capital letters over a red background denote on this aerodrome chart of LHR?
1
vote
4answers
702 views
Why don't airports have weigh stations to prevent overweight takeoffs?
Currently, ensuring that an airplane isn't overweight when it takes off relies on the cargo handlers loading the aircraft properly and accurately documenting (on the weight-and-balance sheet) what ...
23
votes
1answer
7k views
Is it possible to drive into Gibraltar Airport's runway?
The runway of Gibraltar Airport crosses an active 4 lane highway
Example Video.
My question is are there any security measures which prevent normal traffic from entering the airport through the ...