Airport Site and Survey for Site Selection in Airport Engineering
Airport Site and Survey for Site Selection in Airport Engineering In the vast expanse of our modern world, where the skies are crisscrossed by countless flights connecting people, cultures, and aspirations, lies a hidden realm crucial to the seamless operation of aviation—the strategic selection of airport sites. Welcome aboard as we embark on a journey through the intricacies of airport site and survey procedures in the realm of airport engineering.
Airport site selection
The selection of a suitable site for an airport depends upon the class of airport under consideration.
The factor which affects the selection of the suitable site for the installation of major airports are as follows:
1) Regional plan:
The selected location should be well integrated into the regional plan, thus making it an integral part of the national airport network.
2) Airport use:
- The choice of site depends on the use of the airport, i.e., whether public or military.
- The location of the airport should be chosen in such a way that it provides environmental protection to the area from air attacks.
- Sometimes, topology is such that aeroplanes can be concealed underground.
3) Proximity to other airports:
The location should be chosen very far from the existing airport so that the aircraft landing does not interfere with the flow of flights to another airport.
| Types of Airport | Conditions | Minimum Spacing |
| Serving small aircrafts | VFR | 3.2 km or 2 miles |
| Serving bigger aircrafts with two-piston engines | VFR | 6.4 km or 4 miles |
| Serving bigger aircrafts with piston engines | IFR | 25.6 km or 16 miles |
| Serving jet engine aircrafts | IFR | 150 km or 100 miles |
Notes
VFR = Visual Flight Rules
IFR = Instrumental Flight Rules
4) Ground accessibility:
- The site should be selected so that it is easily accessible to the user.
The time required to arrive at the airport by passenger car from a business or residential area should not exceed 30 minutes.
in each segment represents the percentage of time in a year during which the wind having, a particular intensity, blows from the respective direction.
other features which affects site selection
- Soil characteristics
- Drainage direction
- Seismic activities of the site
- Meteorological data of the site
- Traffic possibility in future
- Development of area in future
survey for site selection
Traffic survey
It is performed to determine the amount of air traffic, including the anticipated traffic for the future.
Meteorological survey
It is performed to determine the natural characteristics like direction, duration and intensity of the wind, rainfall, fog, humidity, temperature, and barometric pressure etc.
Topographical survey
This survey is performed to prepare the maps, and these maps are helpful in the jobs of clearing, grading and drainage.
1) A map showing construction such as pole lines, buildings, railways, roads, etc.
2) Contour maps showing natural features such as trees, streams etc.
Soil survey
This survey is performed to determine the soil type and ground water table. The data from this survey assists in the design of the runway, taxiway, terminal building, and drainage system.
Drainage survey
1) To locate possible outlets for drain water in the vicinity of the site.
2) To determine the quantity of storm drainage, and this can be obtained from rainfall intensity and the contour maps.
3) To study the possibility of intercepting or diverting the natural stream of nallas flowing towards the site under consideration.
Material survey
This survey is performed to ascertain the availability of suitable construction materials at a reasonable cost, and the mode of transportation of these materials to the site.
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