posted on 2012-11-23, 11:58authored byMike Hirst, David Pitfield
The airport design process requires considerable knowledge of local terrain, and local weather
conditions. Knowledge of local weather phenomenon, such as persistent fog, or excessive turbulence,
might rule out certain locations. Wind data is also taken into account to determine runway orientation,
because aircraft prefer to take-off and land into the wind. Runway length requirements arise from
knowledge of aircraft performance, and this can reflect local conditions too, such as airfield elevation.
The volume of expected traffic can influence the number of runways, as multiple runways can be
essential to achieve necessary levels of capacity. Thus the airport runway layout can be drawn, and
assessed, to determine where it fits in overall. The one remaining operational aspect is to ensure that
the site selected, when statutory 'imaginary surfaces' are constructed around it, does not invite risk
because of terrain and other obstacles. [...continues]
History
School
Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering
Citation
HIRST, M. and PITFIELD, D.E., 2010. Airport design. IN: Button, K., Vega, H. and Nijkamp, P. (eds.) A Dictionary Of Transport Analysis. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, pp. 25-26.