CHARACTERISTICS OF AIRCRAFT
AIRCRAFT COMPONENTS
SIZE OF AIR CRAFT
One of the important aspect
Here not just the size of main body, but the size of overall wing
space is considered important
By ICAO, FAA guidelines, air craft wing space is considered but
not main body for classifying the airport.
It is important to look at different aspects of size.
The wingspan of an aircraft is defined as the distance from wingtip to wingtip of the
aircraft’s main wings.
The length of an aircraft is defined as the distance from the front tip of the fuselage, or main
body of the aircraft, to the back end of the tail section, known as the empennage.
The turning radius of an aircraft may be expressed using the
following formula:
R 180°turn = b tan (90 - β) + t/2
where b = wheelbase of aircraft
t = wheel track of the aircraft
β = maximum steering angle
Landing Gear Configurations Traditional landing gear configurations (Federal Aviation Administration)
Landing Gear Configurations Traditional landing gear configurations (Federal Aviation Administration)
Landing Gear Configurations Traditional landing gear configurations (Federal Aviation Administration)
Landing Gear Configurations Complex landing gear configurations (Federal Aviation Administration)
Landing Gear Configurations Complex landing gear configurations (Federal Aviation Administration)
Airbus-A350
Landing Gear Configurations Complex landing gear configurations (Federal Aviation Administration)
Landing Gear Configurations Complex landing gear configurations (Federal Aviation Administration)
ENGINE TYPE AND PROPULSION
Atmospheric propulsion and trans-atmospheric propulsion
Propulsion may be through any type of engine
Piston engine, jet engine (turbo jet, turbo propulsion or ram jet) or rocket
engine etc.
Piston – most conventional form, fuel is converted to mechanical or electrical
energy
Jet – these have a capacity to provide a jet with a height thrust, which is used
for movement.
In case of turbo, jet known as turbo propulsion is used. Here not simple thrust
is used, instead huge amount of air is sucked, and is transformed into jet.
Rocket engines used in trans-atmospheric propulsion systems
Speed, power increases from piston to rockets
Engine: Manufacturer
• Pratt and Whitney
• Rolls-Royce
• General Electric
• GE/International Aerospace
Average Fuel Consumption of Typical Jet Aircraft
Each gallon of jet fuel
weighs about 6.7 lb
Jet fuel prices
Fuel consumption in gallons per seat-mile as a function of
route distance.
Table of Standard Atmospheres
AIRPORT SITE SELECTION
Following considerations will also be applicable in the case of expansion of the existing airports.
Atmospheric and meteorological conditions
Availability of land for expansion
Availability of utilities
Development of the surrounding area
Economy of construction
Ground accessibility
Presence of other airports
Use of airport
Regional plan
Surrounding obstructions
Topography
Visibility
Wind
Noise Nuisance
Grading, Drainage and Soil Characteristics
Atmospheric and meteorological conditions:
The presence of fog, haze and smoke reduces the visibility and the poor
visibility lowers the traffic capacity of an aircraft. The fog has a
tendency to settle into areas where there is little wind. The lack of wind
is caused by the topographical features of the surrounding locality. In a
similar way, the smoke and haze are present at sites very near to the
large industrial areas.
Availability of land for expansion:
The field of aviation is expanding day by day. It is therefore necessary
to acquire land in advance or to be able to acquire sufficient real estate
in the future for expanding the airport. As the volume of traffic
increases, it will be necessary to lengthen the runways, to provide
additional support facilities and to expand the terminal facilities
Availability of utilities:
An airport, especially a large one, has to be provided with the utilities
like water, electric power, telephone, sewer, etc. For electric power, most
of the major airports provide their own generating plants to be used in
emergencies.
Development of the surrounding area:
The study of the type of development of the surrounding area is very
important because the airport activities, particularly from the standpoint
of noise, are often quite objectionable to the neighbours of the airport.
Economy of construction:
It is clear that if alternative sites are available and equally well-suited, the
site which is more economical to construct should be given preference. The sites
having waterlogged areas or reclaimed lands are very costly to develop than
those of natural ground. The uneven terrain requires much more grading than
flat or even terrain. The availability of local construction materials may also
have a significant impact on the cost of the project.
Ground accessibility:
The airline passenger is interested in overall door-to-door time than just in the
portion in the air. The location of airport at a considerable distance from the
centre of population may cause great inconvenience to the users. All modes of
transport should be considered for an easy ground access to the airport.
Presence of other airports:
The airports should be located at a sufficient distance apart. This is necessary
to prevent the aircrafts which are manoeuvring for a landing at one airport
from interfering with the movements of the aircrafts at other airports. The
minimum distance between the adjacent airports will depend upon the volume
and type of air traffic, operating facilities, etc.
Use of airport:
The airport site is decided also by the use of airport i.e., civil or military. In
case of an emergency like war, the civilian airports are taken over by the
military. It is therefore necessary to see that the airport site grants natural
protection from possible air attacks during war.
Topography
It includes the natural features like ground contour, streams, trees.
A raised ground or a hilltop is considered to be the ideal site for an
airport due to the following reasons
Less obstruction in approach or turning zone
Natural drainage present in the area
More uniform wind in terms of intensity and direction
Better visibility
Regional Plan
The site selected should fit well into the regional plan, thereby forming it an
integral part of the national network of airport.
Obstruction
During landing and takeoff operation the aircraft looses or gain altitude
very slowly as compare to forward motion so long clearance area is
provided on either side of the runway known as approach area.
The area should be kept free from obstruction i.e. tree, towers, fences.
Visibility
The poor visibility reduces the traffic capacity of the airportso the site selected
should be free from visibility reducing condition like fog, smoke and haze.
Wind
The site should be located windward direction of the city so that a minimum
smoke from the city is blown over to the site. Wind data i.e. direction, duration,
intensity of wind should be collected from nearby meteorological station
Noise Nuisance
The extended of noise nuisance depends upon the climbout path of aircraft
type of engine.
As per the recommendation of FAA the area should be kept free from
residential development and place of public
Grading, Drainage and Soil Characteristic
• The cost of grading and drainage can be reduced by selecting a site with
good soil characteristics and low ground water table.
• The desirable type of soil for airport construction is one which contain a
reasonable amount of pervious material such as gravel, sand and rock dust
with suitable natural binder.
SURVEY FOR SITE SELECTION
• TRAFFIC SURVEY
• METEOROLOGICAL SURVEY
• TOPOGRAPHICAL SURVEY
• SOIL SURVEY
• DRAINAGE SURVEY
• MATERIAL SURVEY
DRAWINGS TO BE PREPARED
• TOPOGRAPHICAL PLAN
• OBSTRUCTION MAP
• DRAINAGE PLAN
• AIRPORT MASTER PLAN
