Airport 

Engineering

I hear and I forget; I see  Fall Semester
and I remember; I do and I  20 Sept 10 to 12 Jan 11
understand Lecture – 9
Chinese Proverb Transportation Engineering‐1(NIT‐SCEE‐ CE – 408 1
NUST)

Sequence

– Airport Reference Code
Airport Reference Code

– Runway Geometry

Transportation Engineering‐1(NIT‐SCEE‐
2
NUST)
 Airport Reference Code
Airport Reference Code

• This is a coding system used to relate the airport design 
g y p g
criteria to the operational and physical characteristics of 
the aircraft intended to operate at the airport
• Based on aircraft approach category and the airplane 
Based on aircraft approach category and the airplane
design group
• Airplane design group is a grouping of aircraft based on 
wingspan.
• Aircraft approach category is determined by the aircraft 
approach speed is defined as 1 33 times the stall speed
approach speed , is defined as 1.33 times the stall speed 
at the landing configuration of aircraft ,at the max 
certified landing weight

Aircraft approach  Aircraft approach  Airplane design Aircraft wing span, 

category speed, kn
A <91
B 91 – 121
C 121 – 141
D 141 – 166
E >= 166
m
1 <14.85
2 14.85 – 23.93
3 23.93 ‐ 35.75
4 35.75 – 51.81
5 51.81 – 64.85
6 64 85 – 79.39
64.85  79 39
 Problem 1
Problem‐1
• At
At a particular airport reference field length is 
a particular airport reference field length is
1000 m and the geometric standards are 
capable of accommodating aircrafts having a
capable of accommodating aircrafts having a 
wing span 14 m and outer main gear wheel 
span 6 5 m What is the aerodrome reference
span 6.5 m. What is the aerodrome reference 
code?

Problem 2
Problem‐2
• At
At an aerodrome having a reference code 4D, 
an aerodrome having a reference code 4D
what operations are possible a runways 
system having two parallel runways with
system having two parallel runways with 
centre line separation 650 m and 
displacement of threshold 750 m Both the
displacement of threshold 750 m. Both the 
runways have the equal length. What will be 
your recommendations as an engineer?
your recommendations as an engineer?
• Use Table 4.2 650 m

Req.
 Problem‐2
Problem 2 (cont
(cont’d)
d)
• Runway
Runway threshold staggered, Min separation 
threshold staggered Min separation
req. 760m
• For calculation of staggering length:
For calculation of staggering length:
– Additional Separation Required: 760‐650 =110m

– As 30 m for 150m
– 1 m for 150/30 m
– For 110 m  separation is 5 x 110 =550 m

Runway Components Full strength pavement

Shoulder

Graded area of strip

Object free area
Runway strip

SW

Bl t pad
Blast d

Clearway (dashed lines) End safety area

 Runway Geometry
Runway Geometry

• Length of runway strips (already covered)
Length of runway strips (already covered)
• Runway width: wing spans
• Transverse Grade
G d
• Longitudinal Grade
• Rate of change of Longitudinal grade
• Sight Distance Requirements: related to visibility
Sight Distance Requirements:  related to visibility

LENGTH

• Basic
Basic runway length (w.r.t
runway length (w r t sealevel) depends 
sealevel) depends
upon the category in which aircraft fall as per 
ICAO classification
ICAO classification
• The length is modified for elevation, 
temperature and gradient correction
temperature and gradient correction.
Aircraft Runway length m
Small aircrafts with < 10 passengers
Small aircrafts with < 10 passengers
75 % of fleet 750
95 % of Fleet 920
100 % of fleet
00 % f fl 1090
090
Small airplanes with 10 or more passenger seats 1270
Large airplanes of  60000 lbs or less
75% of fleet at 60% useful load 1615
75% of fleet at 90% useful load 2135
100% of fleet at 60% useful load
100% of fleet at 60% useful load 1680
100% of fleet at 90% useful load 2379
Large airplanes of more than 60000 lbs 
Stage length of 1600 km 1815
Stage length of 3200 km 2318
Stage length of 4800 km 2730
Stage length of 9600 3416

WIDTH

• Type
Type of the airport and largest aircraft using 
of the airport and largest aircraft using
that airport.

• Ref to Table:4.3

• Width of 45m is sufficient for large airports.
g p
 SIGHT DISTANCE
SIGHT DISTANCE

• Generally
Generally no sight distance restrictions as the 
no sight distance restrictions as the
longitudinal gradient for the runway are quite gentle.
• Hazardous locations are crossing of two runways ; 
g y ;
runways and taxiways
y g g
• Adherence to runway longitudinal gradient standards 
provides adequate line of sight
Airport category Y (m) X
A 1.5 Half runway length
B 2.1 Half runway length
C,D, E
, , 3.0 Half runway length
y g

RUNWAY GRADIENT
RUNWAY GRADIENT

Longitudinal and effective gradient
Longitudinal and effective gradient
• Longi. Gradi. Increases with req. runway 
length
• Also effects aircraft performance
• As flat as possible to avoid excessive engine 
thurst
• ICAO speci. Table 4.8
 RUNWAY GRADIENT
RUNWAY GRADIENT

• Rate
Rate of change of effective longitudinal 
of change of effective longitudinal
gradient
• The abrupt grade change may cause 
The abrupt grade change may cause
premature lift off aircraft during takeoff.
• Change of gradient should be smooth through 
Ch f di h ld b h h h
the provision of vertical curve
• No vertical curve required if grade changes < 
0.4%

RUNWAY GRADIENT
RUNWAY GRADIENT

• Rate
Rate of change of effective longitudinal 
of change of effective longitudinal
gradient

a L2

L1
b

D
 Small aircraft Large aircraft
Max a or b 2% 1.5%
L1 or L2 /1 % grade 
L1 or L2 /1 % grade 90m 300m
change
D 75(a+b)m 300 (a+b)m

ICAO code  Max  Max  Max effe.  Ma x  Dist. b/w   Length of 

no Long.  grade 1st  Gradi. grade  pts of  vertical 
Grade % and last  change grade  change
quarter  intersecti
grade on
4 1 25
1.25 08
0.8 10
1.0 15
1.5 300(a+b) 300
3 1.5 0.8 1.0 1.5 150(a+b) 150
2 2.0 1.0 2.0 75(a+b) 75
1 2.0 2.0 2.0 75(a+b) 75

TRANSVERSE GRADIENT
TRANSVERSE GRADIENT

• Provided for quick disposal of surface water
q p
• Ponding of water is hazardous for aircraft operations
• Min. recommended transverse slope is 1% .
• For rigid pavements it can be kept as low as 0.5 %.
• Slope up to 2 % for smaller category aircrafts (ICAO:A & 
B) F
B). For other runways min transverse slope is 1.5 %.
th i t l i 15%
• For shoulders slope up to 5 % permitted.
• FAA recommends a 4 cm drop from the paved surface 
FAA recommends a 4 cm drop from the paved surface
to the graded shoulder surface.
 TRANSVERSE GRADIENT
TRANSVERSE GRADIENT

Shoulder Runway Shoulder

1‐2% 1‐2%
3‐5% 45
45m
3‐5%
150m
1.5‐5% 1.5‐5%
300m

Runway Safety area

RUNWAY SAFETY AREA

RUNWAY SAFETY AREA

Extended 
Extended 
runway safety 
runway safety 
area
area 60m 60m

Shoulder
Structural Pavement
Shoulder

300m 300m

SHOULDERS
Usually lesser strength pavements
•Usually lesser strength pavements
•Sometime these are stabilized to resist jet blast erosion or 
to accommodate maintenance equipment.  
•Emergency landing or takeoff not for regular basis
 BLAST PAD
BLAST PAD

• It
It serves jet operations
serves jet operations
• It extended across the full width of the 
runway and its both side shoulders
runway and its both side shoulders
• This is essentially non traffic area
• Vary in length from 30‐120m depending upon 
the type of aircraft to be served

Parallel Runway System Spacing

Parallel Runway System Spacing

Depends up on 
Depends up on
• Whether operations is in VMC or IMC
• In case of IMC whether it is desired to 
f C h h i i d i d
accommodate simultaneously arrivals or 
simultaneously arrivals or departures
i l l i l d
• In case of airports serving mix traffic 
simultaneously use of runway even in VMC 
conditions may be dictated by separation
 Parallel Runway System Spacing
Parallel Runway System Spacing

• Table : 6.2
• Recommendations
FAA SPECIFI.  ICAO SPECIFI.
(VMC disregarding wake vortices)
(VMC di di k ti )
Single engine aircraft 90m Airport Ref Code ‐1 120m
Twin engine aircraft 150m Airport Ref Code ‐2 150m
All other aircrafts  210m Airport Ref Code ‐3 & 4 210m
Design group V & VI 350m

420m during day light hours for 
opposite direction operations and 
840 m at all other times

FAA SPECIFI.  (VMC disregarding wake vortices) min separation is 750m

Problem 4
Problem‐4
• Draw
Draw a neat sketch showing runway 
a neat sketch showing runway
components and minimum dimensional 
standards for aerodrome reference code 2 C
standards for aerodrome reference code 2 C 
with precision approach category I.

• Use Table 4.3,4.4,4.5,4.6,4.7
 Problem 5
Problem‐5
• Part of runway centre line profile on an airport of reference
code 3D (precision approach category II) is shown below.
C
Curve A is
i 30 m andd curve B isi 35 m long.
l T l length
Total l h off
runway is 1500 m and the highest and lowest elevations are
1120.450 m and 1098.258 m respectively. Briefly discuss
whether it meets the ICAO permissible gradient standards or
otherwise.

-0
0.3
3% +0.25
+0 25
+0.2 % B %

200 m 100 m 300 m

Use Table 4.8

Problem‐6
• Th
The runway gradation
d i plan l indicate
i di that
h there
h i a rising
is i i gradient
di off
1.5% meeting a falling gradient of 0.5%.In continuation of it there is
again an upward of 0.3%. What should be the separation between
the point of grade change. Also compute the lengths of vertical
curves at the point of grade change airport number reference code
is 3.Draw runway profile.

Vertical curve 
120m long
+0.3%
+1.5% -0.5 %

A
B
Vertical curve 
300m long

420
m