FAA Regulations - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

• • airport will determine the capacity required for airport access. The airport capacity figures should be trans- lated into numbers of movements by people and access vehicles. A preliminary examination of existing and planned highway and mass transit systems should allow a judgment as to the availability of surface access capacity. In determining the volume of people, it is neces- sary to establish the percentage relationship between passengers, visitors, and airport employees. This can vary from one urban area to another and from one site to another. Information on the subject of airport access is contained in several publications, including those of the American Society of Civil Engineers and the Highway Research Board. In attempting to ascertain such important data as the total number of people who can be expected to travel by private auto to and from the airport and the distribution of their travel routes throughout the area the master plan airport is to serve, the Regional Federal Highway Division Engineers Office as well as State and local highway offices should be consulted. The Urban Transportation Planning Program will be another valuable source of information. Metropolitan transit authorities should also be consulted to deter- mine if mass transit service to the airport is feasible and to study the effects which mass transit facilities would have on surface access capacity. The potential of mass transit is a principal consideration in the analysis of airports serving scheduled air passengers. While surface access is not as critical an element for general aviation airports, it has a vital effect on air- port utilization. e. Air Traffic Control and Navaid Require- ments. Demand/capacity analysis provides insight in terms of the type and timing of air traffic control facilities and air navigation aids that will be needed at the master plan airport. The extent of airspace available, the volume of traffic projected, and the nature of the operations (IFR and VFR) that could be expected are the determining factors. In preparing a master plan for general aviation operations, every consideration should be given to having them capable of sustaining instrument opera- tions. The demand forecasts will be used to determine this requirement and should indicate the operational reliability (approach minima) required. This, in turn, will dictate the kind of equipment (ILS, VOR, etc.) that should be planned for. The most sophisti- cated instrumentation available should be planned for airports served by certified air carriers. Since the FAA can be expected to continue to be the supplier and operator of navaids and air traffic control facilities, current eligibility criteria for such installations should be obtained from that organiza- tion. Early consultation with the FAA is necessary at this point in order to ascertain what is being planned and what its views are on future instrumenta- tion requirements and capabilities at the master plan airport. In addition, the FAA publication, "National Aviation System, Ten-year Plan," discusses eligibility and siting criteria for navaids. 30. Cost Benefit Analysis. When improve- ments proposed in an airport master plan will increase the capacity of an area to handle aircraft, then delays to aircraft operations in that area will be reduced. These reductions in delays will also reduce monetary losses to aircraft operators which have resulted from the delays. The money saved from the reduced delays can be compared with the costs of airfield improve- ments and cost benefit relationships can be established. Advisory Circular 150/5060-1A provides the means of determining reductions in delays to aircraft which accompany increases in airfield capacity. From figure 17, page 36 of Appendix 2 of Advisory Cir- cular 150/5060-1A, an increase in annual capacity (aircraft operations per year) will result in a reduc- tion of annual delay (minutes per year) . The cost per minute of delay can be established for aircraft using the airfield based on aircraft mix. Current estimates are $15 for class A aircraft, $8 for class B, $4 for class C, and $0.80 for classes D and E. These estimates should be updated to meet the time frame of the particular airport master plan. The amount of annual savings to aircraft operators which will result from airfield improvements is ob- tained by multiplying the annual reduction in minutes of delay by the cost per minute of delay to aircraft. Next, the cost of an improvement is estimated and spread over a period of amortization. The cost per year of the improvement is then compared with sav- ings per year and a cost benefit ratio is obtained. Thus, if the annual cost of a runway improvement is one million dollars per year and the annual savings due to reduction in delays to aircraft is 2 million dollars, the cost benefit ratio is 1 to 2. This same type of cost benefit analysis should be applied to the costs of terminal area facilities versus delay savings to passengers. Cargo facilities, auto- mobile parking, and airport access should also be subjected to cost benefit study by the airport master planner as a part of demand/capacity analysis. 17