The document discusses various characteristics of airplanes and their impact on airport design, including different aircraft types and their respective takeoff and landing requirements. It details the classification of airports based on the services they provide and the critical aircraft they accommodate, as well as coding systems like the Airport Reference Code (ARC) and icao aerodrome reference codes. Additionally, the document outlines the definitions and implications of static and dynamic characteristics of airplanes in relation to airport infrastructure.

1. Characteristics Of Airplanes as They
Relate to Air Mode of Transportation.
•Airplane fleet varies from single-engine propeller planes to
jumbo jets such as the 747 jumbo jets.
• The characteristics of these different airplanes vary
significantly.
• The takeoff and landing distances and the maximum flying
heights differ considerably among various types of airplanes
also vary.
• An airport runway must be designed to accommodate the
take-off and landing requirements of all the planes using it.

2. Characteristics Of Airplanes as They Relate to Air
Mode of Transportation.
Different types of Aircraft used in civil aviation.

3. • The characteristics (static and dynamic) of a design airplane
influence the taxiways and runway configurations of an
airport.
• The static characteristics of airplanes also vary considerably.
• Depending on the type of airplane, the maximum take-off
weight can be as low as 7 kN for the Cessna-150 and as high
as 3800 kN for the Boeing 747-400.
• These airplanes can be classified into two general categories:
transport aircraft and general aviation aircraft.
Characteristics Of Airplanes as They
Relate to Air Mode of Transportation.

4. • The FAA has also classified airplanes into two categories—
- airplane design group and
- aircraft approach category—
• For the purpose of selecting appropriate airport design
standards, as the design criteria for airports are based on the
airplanes intended to operate at the airport.
• The airplane design group is based on the wingspan of the
aircraft and is indicated by a Roman numeral (I, II, III, IV, or V).
• The aircraft approach category, designated by a letter (A,B,C,
or D), is based on the aircraft’s approach speed.
Characteristics Of Airplanes as They
Relate to Air Mode of Transportation.

5. Airport Reference Code, Static Characteristics
and Approach Speeds of Different Airplanes
* ARCs for other planes can be obtained from the FAA Advisory Circular 150/5300-13.

6. Aircraft Approach Categories

7. Aircraft Design Groups

8. Coding System For Airports
• A coding system for airports known as the Airport Reference
Code (ARC) relates the design criteria for categories of aircraft
intended to operate at that airport on a regular basis using
the airplane design group and aircraft approach category of
the aircraft.
• For example, if an airport is designed to serve the Boeing 747-
200 with a wingspan of 59.65 m and an approach speed of
152 knots, the ARC of the airport is D-V.
• Important static characteristics that influence the design of
airports are the maximum take-off load and the wingspan of
the planes that are expected to use the airport.
• In general, the higher the maximum take-off load of the
plane, the longer the required take-off and landing lengths.

9. Airport Classification systems
• For design purposes, airports are classified based on the
aircraft they accommodate.
• While at any airport, a wide variety of aircraft, from small
general aviation piston-engine aircraft to heavy air transport
aircraft, will use the airfield, airports are designed based on a
series of “critical” or “design” aircraft.
• The FAA defines the term critical aircraft as the aircraft most
demanding on airport design that operates at least 500
annual itinerant operations at a given airport.

10. • In many cases, more than one critical aircraft will be selected at an airport for design
purposes.
• For example, it is often the smallest aircraft that is critical to the orientation of
runways, while the largest aircraft determines most of the other dimensional
specifications of an airfield.
• Certain dimensional and performance characteristics of the critical aircraft determine
the airport’s airport reference code.
• The airport reference code is a coding system used to relate the airport design criteria
to the operational and physical characteristics of the aircraft intended to operate at the
airport.
• It is based upon the aircraft approach category and the airplane design group to which
the aircraft is assigned.
• The aircraft approach category is determined by the aircraft approach
speed, which is defined as 1.3 times the stall speed in the landing
configuration of aircraft at maximum certified landing weight
• The airplane design group (ADG) is a grouping of aircraft based upon
wingspan or tail height
Airport Classification systems

11. Example
• an airport reference code of B-III is an airport designed to
accommodate aircraft with approach speeds from 91 to less
than 121 kn (aircraft approach category B) with wingspans
from 79 to less than 118 ft or tail heights from 30 to less than
45 ft (airplane design group III).

12. ICAO (International Civil Aviation
Organization) Classification System
• The ICAO uses a two-element code, the aerodrome reference
code, to classify the geometric design standards at an airport
• The code elements consist of a numeric and
alphabetic designator. The aerodrome code numbers
1 through 4 classify the length of the runway
available.
• The aerodrome code letters A through E classify the
wingspan and outer main gear wheel span for the
aircraft for which the airport has been designed.

13. ICAO Aerodrome Reference Codes
The reference field length is the approximate required runway takeoff
length converted to an equivalent length at mean sea level, 15°C, and
zero percent gradient.

14. Example
• An airport which is designed to accommodate a
Boeing 767–200 with an outer main gear wheel span
of width of 34 ft 3 in (10.44 m), a wingspan of 156 ft
1 in (48 m), at a maximum takeoff weight of 317,000
lb, requiring a runway length of about 6000 ft (1830
m) at sea level on a standard day, would be classified
by ICAO with an aerodrome reference code of 4-D.
• It will be noted that this classification system does not
explicitly include the function of the airport, the
service it renders, or the type of aircraft
accommodated.

16. A i r p o r t C h a r a c t e r i s t i c s
• The specific characteristics discussed in this section are those
related to the travelway of the airplane when it is at the
airport, such as taxiways and runways.
• Airports are categorized by the type of services they provide
and for design purposes by the predominant airplane
expected to use the airport.

17. Airport classification with respect to the
services provided :
• Based on the services provided, airports are generally
classified in the following categories:
• Commercial service—primary
• Commercial service—other
• General aviation
• Basic utility (BU)
• General utility (GU)
• Transport
• Reliever airports

18. • Commercial service—primary:
- Airports having at least 0.01% of the annual U.S. enplanements.
- Airports in this category must also be served by at least one scheduled passenger
service carrier with a minimum of 2500 annual enplanements.
• Commercial service—other:
- Airports that have at least 0.01% of the annual U.S. enplanements but do not satisfy
the passenger service criterion.
• General aviation: An airport with any of the following characteristics:
- receiving U.S. mail; considered a significant local, regional, or national
interest;
- having significant military activities;
- a general aviation heliport serving more than 400 repeating air taxi operations; or
- serving more than 810 repeating operations.
• General aviation basic utility (BU):
Airports that accommodate most of the single-engine and many of the smaller twin-
engine airplanes.
Airport classification with respect to the
services provided :

19. • General aviation general utility (GU):
Airports that serve nearly all general Aviation airplanes with take-off
weights not exceeding 56300 N.
• General aviation transport:
- These airports serve mainly transport-type and business jets and are
usually capable of serving turbo jet-powered airplanes.
- They are usually designed to serve airplanes with an approach
• speed of 120 knots (note, 1 knot 1.85 km/h).
• Reliever airports:
Airports usually located in metropolitan areas with the main objective
of relieving congestion at large carrier airports.
Airport classification with respect to the
services provided :