Runway properties - Dissertation Example

Runway Properties Runway properties Introduction The landing process of a plane involves several procedures and phases different from the other sections of the flight. The pilot plans for three issues, which include the approach, the landing and the go around process. The planning process is also to determine the traffic pattern a few miles away from the airport. While approaching the airport during landing, the pilot maintains the appropriate angle by controlling the pitch angle and the glide slope angle (Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand 2011).

There are two categories of landing distance; the actual landing distance, and the required landing distance. The actual landing distance is the total distance taken in landing and completely stopping after crossing the run way thresh hold at 50 ft (Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand 2011). Required landing distance is the distance taken after a factor is applied to the actual landing distance. The aviation authorities in Europe (JAA) and the United States (FAA) have, however, developed standard required runway distance as a measure to reduce the high number of accident that occurs during landing.

The landing distance requirements are dependent on the types of plane which could either be air carrier, commuter planes or cargo planes. These landing length requirements are developed in accordance to the manufacturers characteristics based on maximum weights of the airplane. The different landing lengths for the planes are 112800 feet for the air carriers, 9350 feet for the commuter planes and 13900 feet for the cargo planes. In wet conditions the landing length for the air carrier is 7000 feet, 6400 feet for commuter planes and 8900 feet for cargo planes.

During dry conditions, the required runway distance is found as (Actual landing distance (dry) * 1.67) while during the wet conditions, the required runaway distance is found as (actual learning distance* 1.92) (Ashford & Wright 1992). The distance required for learning is, however, determined by several factors such as the runway gradient, the wind conditions, the conditions of the run way (wet, dry or snow) and high density altitudes among other environmental conditions. The actual landing conditions are determined by testing the flights under a variety of conditions which include flying the flight from 50 ft above the runway thresh hold, achieving a stable touch down without extending the flare and applying the maximum pedal braking systems from the gear of the main landing touchdown.

During the landing process, the pilots do not land with the brakes applied. The feet should be set on the rudder pedal to ensure that they are not accidentally engaging the brake pedals. The pilot waits until there is weight on the wheels. This occurs when the nose wheel of the plane reaches the ground before applying the brakes (Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand 2011). At the touchdown of the plane, it should be adequately stable such that the centerline is in between the main wheels. While landing on a wide run way, the plane must land on the centerline different from narrower runways where you have no choice (Ashford & Wright 1992).

There are several types of braking systems in planes which include pedal braking, auto brakes and applying the use of thrust reversers used in extreme conditions. The touchdown is supposed to be in such a way that the nose wheel of the plane remains in the air in the first 50 ft of the rollout. The gentleness of the touchdown determines the ability of the pilot to control the landing process. Some of the requirements for appropriate landing especially where the run way is short, narrow and has dusty winds include; choosing the most appropriate pathway, selecting and using the correct configuration, touching down at the right time, touching down at an appropriate low speed and effectively using the brakes (Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand 2011).

Additional to the effect of water, snow and other wet conditions on the landing distance it also affects the efficiency of the braking system. Choosing the appropriate runway requires the pilot to consider factors such as the headwind and density. The best run way is the one that is long enough to enhance the stability of the plane. Applying the use of the best configurations to extend the flaps plays the role of reducing the stalling speed, increasing the incidence, increasing the washout, regulating the plane speeds as well as lowering the permissibility to high speeds.

Touching down at the right point is also an essential factor in determining the ability to control the landing process. The development of the airport also has major effects on the landing of planes in terms of time and distance (Dempsey 1999). Airport planning processes should be used to establish the guidelines that are applied to enhance the proper management of flights as well as maintain consistency with the national goals. One of the most important factors that are considered in the designing of airports is its ability to accommodate future developments and changes in the design and performance (Dempsey 1999).

With the rapid advancements in technology, the speeds and rates of the operations have greatly increased, thus designing the airport should also consider the possibilities of such future developments. The dimensional width of the airport runways is however determined by the number of stripes on the run way. For instance a runway with 4 stripes is required to measure 60 feet, 6 stripes measures 75 feet, 8 stripes measure 100 feet, 12 stripes measure 150 feet while the maximum 16 stripes measure 200 feet.

The air craft manufacturers specify the length requirement for the runways. The runways lengths vary depending on the operating weights of the air craft, the temperature of the surroundings and the runway conditions. the runways length also vary according to the runway type for the runways type 6L-24R the standard length required is 13900 feet, 6L-24R runways require 13900 feet while 18 -36 runways require 11120 feet. The designs of the airports should also consider developing cost effective plans that maximize the economic efficiency, as well as maximizing the safety efficiency.

The designs should ensure the safety of flights by avoiding accidents during takeoff and landing (Dempsey 1999). This can be promoted through the utilization of high quality materials for the construction of the run ways, as well as putting in place all the safety measures in the design and construction. The airport runways should be effectively constructed to accommodate larger and faster aircrafts, as well as accommodate the different climatic conditions that may affect the taking off and landing of the flights.

The strength of the landing field also determines the weight and pressure per wheel, and the frequency of operations. In this case, the construction of the run ways should be professionally done from high quality materials (Ashford & Wright 1992) An example of such designs is with the John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) which is designed to have two parallel runways aligned at right angles. The total length of the runways is approximately 9 miles and all the run ways are facilitated with high intensity center lights and the lead ways lights to enhance safety.

Additionally, an Engineered Materials Arresting System (EMAS) is established at the exit end of Runway for aircraft overruns. References Ashford, N & Wright, P 1992, Airport engineering, John Wiley & Sons, New Jersey. Dempsey, P 1999, Airport development and planning handbook, McGraw- Hill, New York. Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand 2011, Take off and landing performance: Good aviation practices. Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand, Wellington.