(Module-10)

AIRPORT COMPONENTS

Components of Airport
Terminal Building (T.B)
Apron
Runway
Taxiway
Hangar

Terminal Building
Provides facilities for all passengers arriving and departing from airport and
allowed airline and admins personnel's. It includes following facilities:
Booking office
Customs office
Restaurants
Weather bureau
Luggage and mails rooms
Communication systems (telephone/telegraph office etc.)
Air traffic control tower
Apron
Portion of the airport usually paved in front of terminal building, for parking,
loading/unloading of aircraft.

Hangar
Large sheds erected at the airport for housing & repairing of aircrafts. It may be
storage or service hangar.

Runway
A runway is a long narrow strip of ground with a hard surface prepared for the
landing and the takeoff of aircraft.

Taxiway
A key component in the airport layout is the taxiway system, which connects the
runway to the terminal areas and aircraft service hangars. In taxiway layout and
design, major emphasis is given to providing smooth and efficient flow of aircraft
along the taxiways. Where air traffic warrants, the usual procedure is to locate a
taxiway parallel; to the runway centerline for the entire length of the runway. This
makes it possible for landing aircraft to exit the runway more quickly and
decreases delays to other aircraft waiting to use the runway.

There are four types of taxiways:-

1. Parallel Taxiways
2. Entrance Taxiways
3. Bypass Taxiways
4. Exit Taxiways
ACRONYMS

ATC: Air traffic control

ATM: Airport traffic management
ATS: Air Traffic Services
CAA: Civil Aviation Authority
CNS: Communication, Navigation, Surveillance
FAA: Federal Aviation Administration: The FAA is responsible for the basic air
traffic control system on and around airports, establishing airside design
principles for airports, and ensuring that the airspace and airfield of
airports both operate in unison and harmony and air integrally and
optimally connected.
IATA: International Air Transport Association
ICAO: International Civil Aviation Organization
ILS: Instrument landing system
MLS: Microwave landing system
NAS: National Airspace System: NAS is the common network of U.S. airspace;
air navigation facilities, equipment and service; airports; aeronautical
charts, information and services; rules, regulations and procedure; and
technical information, manpower and material. Included are system
components shared jointly with the military.
NTSB: The National Transportation Safety Board
RADAR: Radio Detection and Ranging
TDZL: Touchdown Zone light
TRB: Transport Research Board
VSI: Visual Approach Slope Indicator
PAPI: Precision Approach Path Indicator
REIL: Runway End Identifier
ALS: Approach Lighting System
RCLS: Runway Centerline and Touchdown Zone Lighting
VFR: Visual Flight Rules
IFR: Instrument Flight Rules
 CNS/ATM
The expression CNS/ATM stands for communication, navigation, and
surveillance and air traffic management system. It controls aircraft
approaching and departing the airport and those moving on the airfield, and
manages air traffic in the airspace. So it makes safe, efficient and cost-effective
operations at the airports. CNS/ATM is also important for airport planning and
engineering.

In 1938, Civil Avia tion Authority (CAA) was established responsible for managing
and controlling air traffic on airways, certifying pilots and controllers, ensuring
safety, and investigating accidents.

There are three major development phases for airport CNS:

1. Visual Navigation
The pilot works with other pilots under the concept of see and be seen. This
was later renamed as VISUAL FLIGHT RULES (VFR). An airport controller on the
ground or on a raised platform conveys to the pilot basic control instructions
visually through colored flags or light guns. The different colors emitted out of the
light guns give instructions as follows:

Steady green for cleared for takeoff

Flashing green for cleared to taxi
Steady red for stop
Alternating red and green for extreme caution

With the invention of radio communication, the ground controller at the airport
tower world relay information and instruction to the pilot through the radio.
Today, airport visual navigational aids include all airfield signs and markings,
runway and taxiway centerline and edge lighting.

2. Radio Navigation and Communication and Radar

surveillance
Radio was used for communicating between ground controllers and pilots to
provide direction for them to navigate their approach and landing. Later on,
RADAR (radio detection and ranging) was developed and used for navigation.
Radio-based navigation includes VOR, LORAN, instrument landing system (ILS)
and microwave landing system (MSL) etc.
Radio communication is still the backbone of the communication system between
pilots, controllers on the ground, and radio-based ground navigation equipment.
For surveillance different systems of radars that include ASR, ARSR and PAR, and
airport surface detection equipment (ASDE) radars are used

3. Satellite-Based Navigation, Communication, and

Surveillance
As air traffic continued to grow, the ground-based air traffic control (ATC) system,
became inefficient and costly. As a result, the 1980s witnessed major
technological developments on two major fronts: (a) moving into satellite-based
CNS systems and (b) adopting a more advanced ATC system where the
controllers, managers, and pilots collaborate in using more advanced ATM. This
new system adopts collaborative decision-making (CDM) concepts and advanced
conflict resolution techniques with satellite-based technologies and advanced
aircraft flight management system (FMS).

VISUAL FLIGHT RULES & INSTRUMENT FILIGHT RULES

The implementation of these rules in the CNS/ATM system depends on aircraft

equipage, weather condition, and the location and altitude of the flight paths.
In general, VFR operations are used when weather is good enough for the
aircraft to be operated by visual reference to the ground and to other aircraft
based on the rule of see and be seen and when traffic densities are low.
IFR conditions exist when the visibility or the ceiling (height of clouds above
ground level) falls below that prescribed for VFR flight or when air densities
are high. Responsibility for maintaining safe aircraft separation, altitudes and
routes passes to the air traffic controller following the IFR procedures.