Airport Design

• A. To set daily flight schedules for airlines
• B. To provide a long-term framework for the development and growth of an airport ✓
• C. To determine air traffic control procedures
• D. To establish ticket pricing policies

Why: An airport master plan is a long-range planning document that guides the orderly development of airport facilities over a 20-year or longer horizon, based on forecast demand, environmental considerations, and financial feasibility.

• A. Capacity analysis
• B. Demand forecasting ✓
• C. Noise contour mapping
• D. Wind rose analysis

Why: Demand forecasting projects future passenger volumes, aircraft operations, and cargo traffic. These forecasts drive the sizing of runways, terminals, and other facilities in the master plan.

• A. The airport's three-letter identifier
• B. The airport's annual passenger throughput
• C. The critical aircraft characteristics that determine airside design standards ✓
• D. The airport's fire rescue category

Why: The ARC, defined by FAA and ICAO guidance, combines aircraft approach speed (letter) and wingspan/tail height (roman numeral) to set design standards such as runway width, taxiway separation, and object clearance.

• A. Design hour
• B. Saturation point ✓
• C. Load factor
• D. Apron ratio

Why: The saturation point, or capacity threshold, is when demand approaches or exceeds the airport's ability to operate efficiently. Master planning aims to anticipate this point so expansion can be timed appropriately.

• A. It determines the location of passenger terminals
• B. It helps orient runways to maximize aircraft operations in prevailing winds ✓
• C. It calculates fuel storage requirements
• D. It sets the height limits for control towers

Why: Aircraft take off and land into the wind for lift and performance. A wind rose shows the frequency and strength of winds from various directions, guiding runway orientation to maximize usability, typically aiming for 95% wind coverage.

• A. To mark the edge of the usable pavement for pilots
• B. To provide a visual guide for aircraft alignment during takeoff and landing ✓
• C. To indicate the location of runway lighting fixtures
• D. To separate opposing directions of taxiing traffic

Why: The runway centerline is a painted stripe running down the middle of the runway that helps pilots keep the aircraft aligned with the runway during takeoff roll and landing rollout.

• A. The raised section of pavement at the edge of a runway
• B. The paved or stabilized area bordering a taxiway that helps prevent jet blast and foreign object damage from affecting the engines ✓
• C. The grass strip between two parallel runways
• D. The turnaround area at the end of a taxiway

Why: Taxiway shoulders are paved or stabilized areas on either side of a taxiway that protect the aircraft's engines and wingtips from erosion caused by jet blast and reduce the risk of foreign object damage.

• A. The runway's length in hundreds of feet
• B. The year the runway was constructed
• C. The magnetic heading in tens of degrees ✓
• D. The number of lanes on the runway

Why: Runway numbers are the magnetic heading rounded to the nearest 10 degrees, with the last zero dropped. For example, a runway heading of about 090 degrees is designated Runway 09, and the reciprocal heading of 270 degrees is Runway 27.

• A. It marks the point where the runway surface ends completely
• B. It defines the beginning of the portion of runway usable for landing ✓
• C. It is the location of the aircraft parking apron
• D. It indicates the boundary between two taxiways

Why: The runway threshold marks the beginning of the runway portion usable for landing. Some runways have a displaced threshold, which shifts this point, often to clear obstacles on approach while still allowing takeoff from the full length.

• A. Curved pavement is cheaper to construct than straight pavement
• B. Curves allow aircraft to maintain safe speeds and keep the nose gear and wingtips within the pavement and clearance limits ✓
• C. Curves reduce the amount of runway lighting needed
• D. Sharp turns are prohibited by international aviation law for all aircraft

Why: Taxiway curves let aircraft turn at a reasonable speed while keeping the nose gear on the pavement centerline and wingtips clear of obstacles. Designers use fillet radii sized to the aircraft's wheelbase and turning characteristics.

• A. Linear layout
• B. Pier finger layout ✓
• C. Satellite layout
• D. Transporter layout

Why: A pier finger layout uses narrow piers extending from the main terminal building, with gates on both sides, so aircraft park directly alongside the building and passengers board via jet bridges or walkways.

• A. It maximizes the number of aircraft stands per square meter
• B. It offers short walking distances and simple wayfinding for passengers ✓
• C. It requires no airside buses or transporters
• D. It is best suited for very large international hubs

Why: Linear terminals arrange all gates along a single straight concourse, which keeps walking distances short and makes navigation intuitive, but they do not scale well for high passenger volumes.

• A. The airside apron where aircraft are parked
• B. The area where passengers are dropped off and picked up by vehicles ✓
• C. The baggage reclaim hall
• D. The security screening checkpoint

Why: Curbside is the landside roadway area at the terminal entrance where taxis, private cars, and buses drop off and collect passengers, and it is a key element of landside traffic planning.

• A. A zone where food and retail are prohibited
• B. An area beyond security screening where passengers have been checked and are awaiting departure ✓
• C. A quarantine zone for arriving international passengers only
• D. A restricted zone for airport staff and maintenance crews

Why: The sterile area lies beyond the security checkpoint; passengers in this zone have been screened, so it is kept separate from the public landside area to maintain security.

• A. To reduce construction costs by sharing one set of walls
• B. To prevent congestion, avoid cross-flows, and support clear security and customs processes ✓
• C. Because federal regulations forbid mixing passengers in any circumstance
• D. To allow aircraft to park on both sides of the terminal

Why: Separating arrival and departure flows reduces congestion and conflicts between passengers moving in opposite directions, and it helps keep departing passengers screened while arriving passengers pass through immigration and customs.

• A. To serve as a passenger waiting area before security screening
• B. To provide a paved area for aircraft parking, loading, unloading, fueling, and maintenance ✓
• C. To act as the main taxiway connecting runways to terminals
• D. To store baggage and cargo containers in long-term storage

Why: The apron is the paved area within an airport where aircraft park for boarding, unloading, refueling, servicing, and maintenance. It is distinct from taxiways, which are used for movement between runways and aprons.

• A. Holding points
• B. Runway thresholds
• C. Stands or parking positions ✓
• D. Intersection departures

Why: Aircraft parking locations on an apron are called stands or parking positions. Each stand is typically marked with painted lines and identifiers to guide aircraft and ground crews.

• A. To control vehicle access to the airside perimeter
• B. To provide the point where passengers board or deplane an aircraft ✓
• C. To measure aircraft weight before takeoff
• D. To separate international arrivals from domestic departures only

Why: An airport gate is the terminal area where passengers wait to board an aircraft or exit after arrival. It connects the terminal building to the aircraft via a jet bridge or walkway.

• A. To make aircraft taxi faster on wet surfaces
• B. To prevent water pooling, which can damage pavement and create hazards ✓
• C. To help aircraft brake more effectively on landing
• D. To direct fuel spills toward storage tanks automatically

Why: Proper grading and drainage prevent water from pooling on the apron. Standing water can weaken pavement structure, cause hydroplaning risks, and create safety hazards for aircraft and ground personnel.

• A. A bridge over a runway that connects two terminal buildings
• B. A movable, enclosed walkway that connects the terminal gate directly to the aircraft door ✓
• C. A pedestrian tunnel beneath the apron for baggage handlers
• D. A raised taxiway used for emergency aircraft evacuation

Why: A jet bridge, also called a passenger boarding bridge, is an extendable enclosed walkway that links the terminal gate to the aircraft door. It allows passengers to board and deplane protected from weather and without using stairs on the apron.

• A. The public terminal lobby and check-in counters
• B. The secured area beyond passenger security checkpoints, including aircraft stands, taxiways, and runways ✓
• C. The car parking facilities and access roads
• D. The administrative offices located in the terminal building

Why: Airside refers to the restricted, secure area of an airport that is accessible only to authorized persons after passing security screening. It includes runways, taxiways, aprons, and aircraft stands, whereas landside covers the public-accessible areas such as parking, forecourts, and the public terminal lobby.

• A. To serve as a location for passenger boarding bridges
• B. To provide a path for aircraft to move between runways and aircraft stands or terminal aprons ✓
• C. To store aircraft during maintenance periods
• D. To direct vehicle traffic from the public parking lots

Why: Taxiways are defined pathways on the airport surface that connect runways with aprons, hangars, and other facilities. They allow aircraft to taxi safely under their own power between these areas without occupying the active runway.

• A. The apron management system
• B. The ground access and forecourt roadway system ✓
• C. The runway lighting system
• D. The aircraft refueling network

Why: The ground access and forecourt roadway system manages vehicles such as private cars, taxis, buses, and rail links arriving at and departing from the terminal. It is a landside component because it is open to the public and sits outside the security perimeter.

• A. A protective barrier at the end of the runway
• B. A defined area for aircraft parking, loading, unloading, refueling, and maintenance adjacent to the terminal ✓
• C. The main passenger check-in hall
• D. A high-speed exit ramp from the runway

Why: The apron is the paved area where aircraft are parked, boarded, serviced, and loaded or unloaded. It is located airside and is typically connected to the terminal building through gates or passenger boarding bridges.

• A. It reduces the cost of building the runway surface
• B. It allows public access to the terminal while maintaining security control over aircraft operations and restricted areas ✓
• C. It eliminates the need for baggage handling systems
• D. It ensures that all passengers can board aircraft without any screening

Why: Separating airside from landside lets the public move freely through landside areas while restricting access to aircraft movement areas and secure zones. The security boundary, usually enforced at passenger checkpoints, protects operations and passengers from unauthorized access and threats.

• A. Passenger throughput
• B. Runway capacity ✓
• C. Terminal dwell time
• D. Load factor

Why: Runway capacity is the maximum sustainable number of aircraft movements per hour that the runway system can handle, depending on factors such as runway configuration, separation standards, and fleet mix. Passenger throughput and load factor measure passengers, and terminal dwell time measures time spent in the terminal, so they do not describe aircraft movement limits.

• A. The busiest hour of the year
• B. The average hour of the day
• C. The thirtieth busiest hour of the year ✓
• D. The first peak hour of the morning

Why: The thirtieth busiest hour (often written as the 30th busiest hour) is commonly used as the design hour in the US and many other countries. It avoids sizing facilities for rare extreme peaks while still accommodating most high-demand periods, which balances cost and service level.

• A. Trend extrapolation or econometric modeling ✓
• B. Delphi survey
• C. Gravity model of trip distribution
• D. Queuing theory

Why: Trend extrapolation and econometric modeling use historical data and statistical relationships with economic or demographic variables to project future passenger demand. Delphi surveys rely on expert opinion, gravity models estimate trip distribution between origins and destinations, and queuing theory analyzes waiting lines rather than forecasting demand.

• A. The ratio of peak hour passengers to total annual passengers ✓
• B. The ratio of international to domestic passengers
• C. The ratio of arriving to departing passengers
• D. The ratio of cargo tonnage to passenger count

Why: The peak hour passenger ratio expresses the share of annual passengers that occur during the busiest hour, and it is used to convert annual forecasts into design-hour demand for sizing terminal facilities. The other ratios describe different relationships that are not the definition of PHP.

• A. Increased taxiway width
• B. Greater wingspan separation requirements for heavier aircraft ✓
• C. Longer passenger boarding bridges
• D. Higher terminal ceiling heights

Why: Heavier and larger aircraft, such as wake-turbulence category heavy aircraft, require greater separation distances behind them to avoid hazardous wake vortices. This increases the minimum time between successive landings or departures, thereby reducing runway capacity. Taxiway width, boarding bridges, and terminal ceiling height do not directly limit runway movement rates.

• A. Flexible pavement
• B. Rigid pavement ✓
• C. Composite pavement
• D. Porous pavement

Why: Rigid pavements use Portland cement concrete slabs that distribute loads over a wide area through their high flexural stiffness, unlike flexible pavements built from asphalt layers that transfer load through layered granular structure.

• A. The maximum takeoff weight of an aircraft
• B. The load-carrying capacity of a pavement for unrestricted operations ✓
• C. The age of the pavement surface
• D. The friction coefficient of the runway surface

Why: PCN, part of the ICAO ACR/PCR reporting system, expresses the bearing strength of a pavement so that operators can compare it against an aircraft's Aircraft Classification Number (ACN) to determine whether operations are permitted.

• A. Alkali-silica reaction
• B. Rutting ✓
• C. Faulting
• D. Spalling of joint edges

Why: Rutting is a permanent surface depression in wheel paths caused by consolidation or lateral movement of asphalt layers under repeated loading. Faulting and joint spalling are distresses typical of concrete pavements.

• A. To provide the wearing surface for aircraft
• B. To provide a stable foundation that supports the pavement layers ✓
• C. To reduce noise from aircraft engines
• D. To drain stormwater from the runway surface

Why: The subgrade is the natural or prepared soil beneath the pavement structure. Its strength and stability, often measured by California Bearing Ratio or resilient modulus, determine the thickness required for the overlying base, subbase, and surface layers.

• A. Overlaying
• B. Crack sealing ✓
• C. Milling
• D. Full-depth reconstruction

Why: Crack sealing is a preventive maintenance treatment that fills cracks with sealant to keep water and debris out, slowing deterioration of the underlying layers. Overlaying, milling, and reconstruction are larger corrective or rehabilitation actions.