Airport Engineering: 8 Important Terms Used In Relation to Airport Engineering

Airport Engineering

The Airport Engineering is a science dealing with site selection of airports, their classification and geometric design including design of runways, air traffic control, etc. Air transport has totally changed our life system. It has not only enabled public to travel long distances in a short span of time but has also affected our economy and way of life.

Airport Engineering

The conquest of air can be considered as the greatest triumph of man in the history of transportation system. The birth of civil aviation has really shrunk the world into small distances of air travel. As a civil engineer, we are not required to deal with manufacture of the aircraft but on the other hand are interested in dealing with design of string and structurally stable airport pavements capable of bearing huge wheel-loads of aircrafts and effects of their impact during landing and take off.

A few important terms used in relation to airport engineering are described below:

1. Aviation: The term 'aviation' is used in air navigation system in which machines heavier
than air are used for flying in the air. e.g., Aeroplane.

2. Aeroplane: It is a flying machine heavier than air used for air transporting men and material from one place to another. It moves under its oun power developed by its engine. It is also called airjet or airplane.

3. Glider: It is also a flying machine heavier than air used for air transport without the use of
engines. It is mainly used for short-distance air travel by a single person. However, in some gliders, more than one person can also travel.

4. I.C.A.O. : International Civil Aviation Organisation (I.C.A.O.) was established in the year
1947. Its headquarters are situated at Montreal (Canada). It is treated as a specialized agency of United Nations Organisation (U.N.O.) dealing with airport development. It ensures that needs of the world public for safe, regular, efficient and economic air-transport are properly fulfilled.

5. Helicopter: It is a special type of lightweight aeroplane in which the machine is equipped with one or more lifting propellers at the top which rotates horizontally about a vertical axis. As compared to airplane, it is able to take off and land vertically and requires a very small area for this process called heliport or helipad. They are best used for intercity services and emergency travel for short distances.

6. Airport: The entire area including buildings, installations, equipments, runways arë used wholly or partly for arrival, departure and movement of aircrafts is called airport or aerodrome.

7. Airfield: It is that part of airport which includes the area for landing and take off of aircrafts excluding buildings, installations and other parts.

8. Runway : A properly prepared and built strip of high quality road used for landing and take
off of planes is called 'Runway'