Future Flight A Review of the Small Aircraft Transportation System Concept -- Special Report 263 (2002) / Chapter Skim
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2 - U.S. Civil Aviation Fleet, Airport, and Airway Use Characteristics
2 - U.S. Civil Aviation Fleet, Airport, and Airway Use Characteristics
Pages 20-49
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From page 20... ...
In general, the data indicate • Trends in demand for small aircraft, how they are being used, and the kinds of aircraft that are most popular for transportation; • The condition, capacity, and location of small airports in the United States, and the factors that influence their use; and • How small aircraft operate in the national airspace system, the wide-ranging skills and qualifications of the pilots that fly them, and long-term changes taking place in the U.S. pilot population.
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From page 21... ...
Air Carrier General Aviation Major Major Commuter Regional Aircraft a (Including Air Taxi) Passenger Airlines Cargo Carriers Passenger Airlines Cargo Carriers Total Fixed-wing 0552-03 Ch02 5/2/02 2:28 PM Page 21 Single-engine piston 144,662 – – 284 55 145,001 Multiengine piston 16,219 – – 196 544 16,959 Total piston 160,881 – – 480 599 161,960 Turboprop 5,857 – – 1,759 790 8,406 Turbofan (jet)
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From page 22... ...
. There has been much speculation about the causes of this dramatic decline, from rising interest rates and product liability costs to changes in tax policy and a shrinking population of private pilots interested in recreational flying.
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From page 23... ...
In the turbofan aircraft, the gas-air mixture exiting from the rear of the turbine engine produces thrust pushing the aircraft forward.4 Although both types of aircraft use gas turbine technology, the latter type is normally referred to as jet aircraft. Turbine engines are more reliable than piston engines, having fewer moving parts, and they require less frequent main tenance and downtime for overhauls.
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From page 24... ...
Large turboprops used by commuter airlines, such as the De Havilland Dash 8, can weigh more than 60,000 pounds loaded and seat 70 or more people. Turboprops usually have cruis ing speeds of 200 to 350 mph and ranges in excess of 1,200 miles.
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From page 25... ...
For aircraft used in air carrier operations, an additional runway safety margin is required, as noted later. 6 For illustration, newer-model narrow-body turbofan aircraft such as the Boeing 737-800 (160 passen ger)
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From page 26... ...
. About 60 percent of these aircraft use gas turbine engines, and the remainder use piston engines.
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From page 27... ...
major airlines, which fly large jet aircraft for mainline passenger and cargo services; (b) commuter airlines, which fly RJs, tur boprops, and some piston-engine aircraft on short to medium-length routes for scheduled passenger and cargo services; (c)
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From page 28... ...
Another difference is that commuter airlines seldom fly distances greater than 500 or 600 miles. They are sometimes referred to as regional carriers because their networks are usually con fined to a single region of the country, rather than extending nationwide as do the networks of major airlines.
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From page 29... ...
In what are essentially charter operations, these companies typically operate aircraft with fewer than 10, but sometimes up to 30, seats. Air taxis are certificated as an air carrier by FAA but are subject to operating requirements different from those applicable to the scheduled carriers using larger aircraft.
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From page 30... ...
On-demand service and accessibility are important reasons why businesses own or lease aircraft. Operators of private aircraft for business aviation can fly to more air ports than for-hire air carriers, including many air taxis.
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From page 31... ...
that can limit air carrier access. From a regulatory standpoint, private aircraft used in business aviation are treated like other kinds of GA aircraft.
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From page 32... ...
Total flight hours by primary use (thousands) 552 676 2,663 11 268 1,435 Corporate transportation 2,786 86 2,896 12 109 24 Other business transportation 921 410 1,452 6 379 121 Air taxi 8,542 75 8,636 36 86 19 Personal 4,707 10 4,718 20 351 1 Instructional 411 107 592 2 237 74 Government 2,661 289 2,975 12 279 25 Othera 20,580 1,653 23,932 100 N.A.
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From page 33... ...
runways that are paved, lighted, and sufficiently long and well-maintained to accommodate a variety of air craft operations; (b) navigation aids, traffic control facilities, and safety services; and 16 Much of the data and description in this section are derived from the 2000 Aviation Capacity Enhancement Plan (FAA 2000a)
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From page 34... ...
Because high-performance jet aircraft have higher V-1 speeds than propeller air craft, they require longer runways. To increase safety margins for for-hire trans portation, FAA requires that the safe stopping distance be no longer than 60 percent of the runway length for aircraft used by air carriers, including air taxis.
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From page 35... ...
. The largest 150 airports served by major airlines have the most extensive passenger facilities, and even the smallest airports with sched uled service and business aviation facilities have such amenities, which are now expected by travelers on commuter airlines affiliated with major carriers.
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From page 36... ...
Table 2-4 Number of Based Aircraft and Annual Enplanements at Public-Use Airports in the National Plan of Integrated Airports, 2000 Airports Based Aircraft Airline Enplanements Percent Percent Percent Number of Total Number of Total Number of Total Commercial-Service Airports 213 14.4 667,863,478 98.8 Airports with at least 100,000 annual airline enplanements 26,991 6.4 0552-03 Ch02 5/2/02 2:28 PM Page 36 Airports with less than 100,000 annual enplanements but 159 7.8 4,169,163 0.6 located less than 75 miles from 100,000-enplanement airport 14,592 4.8 Airports with less than 100,000 annual enplanements but 154 3.3 3,274,029 0.5 located at least 75 miles from 100,000-enplanement airport 6,190 4.6 526 25.5 675,306,670 99.9 Subtotal 47,773 15.8 General Aviation Airports 258 31.5 120,578 0.0 Metropolitan reliever airports 59,143 7.8 Other GA airports located less than 75 miles from 100,000 1,783 36.6 371,271 0.1 enplanement airport 68,683 53.6 GA airports located at least 75 miles from 100,000 760 6.4 132,786 0.0 enplanement airport 11,981 22.8 2,801 74.5 624,635 0.1 Subtotal 139,807 84.2 3,327 100.0 675,931,305 100.0 Total 187,580 100.0 SOURCE: Data provided to TRB by Airport Planning and Programming Office, Federal Aviation Administration, August 2001.
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From page 37... ...
Many reliever airports have runways with ILS, control towers, pas senger waiting areas, provision of rescue and fire-fighting equipment, and other infrastructure that can support their intense use for air transportation. Reliever airports are conveniently located and well equipped and often capable of handling the kind of aircraft used by commuter airlines.
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From page 38... ...
About three-quarters of trust fund revenues are generated through passenger taxes. Air carriers are exempt from federal taxes on the purchase of aviation gasoline and jet fuel; these taxes are paid mainly by GA users and account for less than 10 percent of trust fund revenues.
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From page 39... ...
Most airspace up to 1,200 feet above the ground is Class G, includ ing the space above most small airports without traffic control towers. Because there are only 450 control towers nationwide, most of the country's 5,000 public-use air ports are under Class G uncontrolled airspace.18 Controlled Terminal Airspace Towered airports can fall into one of three categories of controlled airspace.
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From page 40... ...
scheduled air carrier service, are subject to FAA rules governing Class D airspace. Radio contact before entering this controlled airspace, known as the Airport Traffic Area, is mandatory.
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From page 41... ...
Moreover, traffic at all other airports within a 20- to 30-mile radius of the Class B airport, including most of the high-capacity GA reliever airports in metropolitan areas, is subject to operational restrictions. Aircraft operating in Class B terminal airspace are generally separated from other aircraft by at least 3 miles horizontally and 1,000 feet vertically.20 En Route Airways The final two categories of airspace are Classes A and E, which comprise the en route structure.
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From page 42... ...
In the towers of commercial-service airports and some large GA airports, local air traffic controllers together with ground controllers handle aircraft movements. The tower controller directs runway operations (take off and landing clearances)
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From page 43... ...
Finally, FAA maintains approximately 75 Flight Service Stations at its air traffic facilities. These stations provide pilot briefings and en route communications, and 21 ADS-B is a surveillance system that continuously broadcasts GPS position information, aircraft iden tification, altitude, velocity, vector, and direction to all other aircraft and air traffic control facilities in the area.
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From page 44... ...
and operating small aircraft. In metropolitan areas with heavy air traf fic and much controlled airspace, the need for private pilots to obtain a thorough familiarity with radio communication techniques adds to the overall training and proficiency requirements.
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From page 45... ...
Airline Pilot 900,000 Commercial Pilot (excluding Airline Pilots) Private Pilot 800,000 Student Pilots Historical Data FAA Forecast 700,000 0552-03 Ch02 5/2/02 2:28 PM Page 45 600,000 500,000 400,000 300,000 200,000 100,000 0 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 Figure 2-3 Historical trends and FAA predictions, U.S.
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From page 46... ...
About 15 percent of private pilots also have instrument ratings, on the basis of data from the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA 1999a, 19)
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From page 47... ...
The experience of business aviation and commuter airlines indicates that travelers prefer flying on jet aircraft because of their higher levels of safety, speed, reliability, and ride comfort. Business travelers, in particular, value the fast, on-demand, and direct service that private jets can provide.
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From page 48... ...
These top GA airports are mainly located in major metropolitan areas and have been designated by FAA as "relievers" because they supplement the large commercial-service airports. Altogether, about three-quarters of all GA airports in the national airport system are located within 75 miles of a commercial-service air port with regular air carrier service.
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From page 49... ...
Substantially greater effort and expense are required to attain and maintain the neces sary proficiency levels for piloting jet aircraft than are required for private pilots oper ating small, piston-engine aircraft. REFERENCES Abbreviations FAA Federal Aviation Administration GAMA General Aviation Manufacturers Association NATA National Air Transportation Association NBAA National Business Aviation Association RAA Regional Airline Association FAA.
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