Airport Operations

Each time a pilot operates an aircraft, the flight normally begins and ends at an airport. An airport may be a small sod field or a large complex utilized by…

Aircraft can and do overrun the ends of runways and sometimes with devastating results. An overrun occurs when an aircraft passes beyond the end of a runway during an aborted…

Title 14 of the CFR part 91 has established right-of-way rules, minimum safe altitudes, and VFR cruising altitudes to enhance flight safety. The pilot can contribute to collision avoidance by…

All aircraft generate wake turbulence during flight. This disturbance is caused by a pair of counter-rotating vortices trailing from the wingtips. The vortices from larger aircraft pose problems to encountering…

Besides the services provided by an FSS as discussed in “Aviation Weather Services,” numerous other services are provided by ATC. In many instances a pilot is required to have contact…

Operating in and out of a towered airport, as well as in a good portion of the airspace system, requires that an aircraft have two-way radio communication capability. For this…

At airports without an operating control tower, a segmented circle visual indicator system, if installed, is designed to provide traffic pattern information. [Figure 1] Usually located in a position affording…

It is important for a pilot to know the direction of the wind. At facilities with an operating control tower, this information is provided by ATC. Information may also be…

The majority of airports have some type of lighting for night operations. The variety and type of lighting systems depends on the volume and complexity of operations at a given…

There are markings and signs used at airports that provide directions and assist pilots in airport operations. It is important for you to know the meanings of the signs, markings,…