Safety Areas at the Airport - Research Paper Example

Safety Areas at the Airport Unit Lecturer: SAFETY AREAS AT THE AIRPORT Introduction The Public safety areas and pieces of land at the end of the runway at the airport have to be kept as secure as possible. The airport management has to develop restriction so as to control the number of individuals on the ground at the airport (Khalafallah, 2006). This will reduce the number of people exposed to the jeopardy of injury or even loss of life should an accident happen to an aircraft while landing or taking- off. The airport administration has implemented the public safety zone policy at the airport. The policy is based on the model work that was carried out using accidental data in order to determine the level of risk of people within the airport and its environs (Khalafallah, 2006). According to Hardway (1991), airport security entails systems and techniques that the authority uses in order to provide protection to individuals as well as their cargo. The passengers, aircraft and staff that use the airports need to be protected from any form of harm, fear and transgression. Ashford, et.al (2011) states that since so many people use the airport on daily basis, this makes them to be key targets for terrorism and any other form of crime since large numbers of people are assembled in a particular location. Likewise, more people found on large airliners are exposed to death attacks on the aircraft if no proper security measures are put in place. This is because terrorists are able to us hijacked airplanes as an imaginative weapon in order to aim passengers on board (Edwards, 2004). The management of the airport normally tries to use all means possible to prevent all forms of threat from occurring or being realized in the country (Edwards, 2004). If the airport security manages to prevent any harm, then any chance of illegal items, threats and any form of fateful situation incoming into both the airport, country and the aircraft are significantly reduced. From the above, it is clear that the airport security has the all rights to defend the country and airport as well as users from any harmful activity. By so doing, it assures the security of travelling passengers and lastly guards the country and its citizens. The airport authority must be informed and hence protect crucial areas that are vital for security of its passengers and their cargo (Dixon, 2009). This research paper is about safety areas at the airport. It clearly highlights several safety areas at the airports and measures being outlined in order to curb any form of attack to passengers, their goods as well airport operators. Runway safety at the airport Stop bars At the airport, there are red stop bars that are stationed before every crossing of the runway point in order to avoid runway incursions. Dixon (2009) cites that it is an offence to cross a runway and thus pedestrians, pilots as well as vehicle drivers are not allowed to go past stop bars. The tower controller is the one who has the powers to give permission for who should cross the stop bars with regard to a request from an official party. The only time that a runway may be crossed is when stop bar lights have been turned off. At that particular time, traffic will be allowed to cross the runway. When airport users fail to comply with stop bars regulations then it is viewed as a runway incursion and an investigation team should be formed to deal with the case (Edwards, 2004). Protected areas This is an area that is well defined so as to protect runways from any form of unacceptable usage. The dimensions of a protected area go up to 90m from the runway axis and this normally on both sides of the runway. This rule is not applicable to runways of 10/28. The length of the runway is of 150m for all runways from the end of a runway. In situations of taxiways leading to runways, the boundary of an area that is protected is the lit CATI and the edge of a cemented and solid surface of the taxiway. There are posters to indicate protected areas at the (Khalafallah, 2006). The following are safety areas at the airport. Runway safety area (RSA) This is a surface that encloses the runway and has the capacity to decrease the jeopardy of harming an aircraft should an overshoot, undershoot or departure occur from the runway. With regard to the laid down standards, RSAs should be drained, cleared and be capable to support the load of commercial aircrafts (Ashford, et.al, 2011). This implies that airports that are managed by state, RSAs are of 120 feet broad and it is centered in the runway centerline by 240 feet off the runway end. If the Airport Layout Plan exists, it should work hand in hand with the agency airport authority in order to confirm the required dimensions. Further, RSA dimensions must conform to the requirements of AC 150/5300-13, Airport Design and Airport Reference Code (ARC) (Edwards, 2004). This area has to be to support aircrafts under normal circumstances without causing any structural injury to the aircrafts or passengers. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) normally allow sponsors of the airport to advance on the RSAs that not meet the laid down dimensional standards by use of other means like declared distance such as declaring the working runway length to be less than the real runway distance or Engineered Material Arresting System (EMAS). At times the cost of improving an RSA is normally higher than the corresponding EMSA fitting. In such a situation, FAA concludes that it is not practical to advance an RSA (Khalafallah, 2006). The policies that FAA has put in place for RSAs The RAS has to be 1,000-feet long at the end of every part of 139 airport runways. The main challenge is that many airstrips cannot meet this requirement because of obstacles that exist naturally like highways, populated areas and rivers among other factors (Edwards, 2004). Under the present FAA policy, improvement of RSA is necessary when life of a runway is extended by runway rehabilitation, overly or any other key runway task. Further, according to Khalafallah (2006), FAA also supports lone RSA upgrading so as to improve it more on the protection side in order to deal with any accident as it occurs. The RSA should be cleared and graded and hence no constant hazardous depressions or any form of surface variations. The sewers are graded so as to avoid water accumulation. Lastly it should have equipments that support sewage removal, equipments that can rescue an aircraft in case of fire or an accident. The RSA should have an intermittent passage of an aircraft without damaging its structure (Ashford, et.al, 2011). Runway End Safety Areas (RESA) This is a chosen area at every end of the runway with the sole purpose of reducing the danger of damage to an aircraft should it undershoot or overrun a runway (Dixon, 2009). The minimum requirement for RESA is 90 meters from the end of the runway strip for all code 3 and 4 runways, and code 1 and 2 instrument runways (Edwards, 2004). This is a safety notice which that puts into consideration the main change the regulation and hence puts in place more direction to aid holders of license so as to check the level of jeopardy likely to be caused by an aircraft while undershooting or overrunning a runway while at the aerodrome. The holders of Aerodrome License need to assess the danger of a runway excursion an runways that are applicable where RESA has not gone the recommended reserves for a runway code number. It gives improvement strategies which are necessary and hence this will reduce probability and possible effects of an occasion (Edwards, 2004). The width of RESA has to be of the associated graded and cleared area. Dixon (2009) states that it should have minimum of twice the runway width, that is symmetrically inclined about the extensive centerline of the landing strip. For the applicable runways, RESA should not go beyond the outlined distances because they should strictly follow regulations of Safety Management System. As part of the law, holders of the license have to regularly assess the jeopardy of a runway excursion as situations transform and hence come up with appropriate easing actions as required (Ashford, et.al, 2011). The following issues are very vital while optimizing the existing RESA. It is known that improving the RESA distance is hard, it is important to note that incremental realization have to considered at all times (Dixon, 2009). Therefore at any time when a runway project is being constructed, the need to improve a RESA further have to be give the first priority. They include: Realignment of the runway, this is because it may be possible to build an extra pavement at the beginning of a take-off end in order to make more pavements existing to hold stated distances. There is a possibility of moving the start and end acknowledged distances towards downwind which will enable the retention of declared distance and hence come up with a longer RESA (Ashford, et.al, 2011). In situations where there is a limitation in the landing RESA and runway has displaced landing threshold, the designers should examine if there are possibilities of moving the threshold so as to increase the RESA. The expansion of RESA involves acquisition of land improvements to the grading and fences realignment or provision of roads to added areas. Improving on the slopes in the RESA in order to reduce on downward slopes and lastly come up with a smooth RESA that has recognized friction characteristics (Hardway, 1991). Runway object free area (ROFA) It is an area that is centered along the runway centerline and it should be in line with the laid down FAA regulations. This area has to be elevated from any object protruding from RSA edge elevation (Edwards, 2004). This is the area that should not contain any object apart from those that have been located in the object free area for navigation of air or purposes of aircraft earth maneuvering. The airports that are managed by state, the typical ROFA is 250 feet wide and it is centered on the runway centerline by 240 feet off the runway end (Khalafallah, 2006). The dimensions have to be confirmed by reviewing the available Airport Layout Plan in consultation with the agency airport planner. According to Dixon (2009), ROFA only keeps materials that are required for navigation or maneuvering of the aircraft and to taxi. No other material will be kept in this zone except those that are recommended by the clearing standards. Further, there is a recommendation that ROFA has to go beyond the given dimensions so as to make proper use of extent viability. Obstacle – free zone (OFZ) This is defined as an area that is 150 feet above the defined airport elevation that is supposed to be clear all things excluding the frangible and noticeable NAVAIDs. For airports that are managed by state, the usual OFZ is 120 feet wide by 200 feet off the runway (Khalafallah, 2006). These dimensions have to be confirmed by the underlying Airport Layout Plan in talks with the agency airport planner. It is normally centered on top of the runway and extended centerline. It is designed so as to give clearance protection for any aircraft that is taking off or landing from the runway and for approaches that were missed (Edwards, 2004). Precision Obstacle Free Zone (POFZ) The areas of POFZ are normally demarcated using similar surface markings as those of ILS critical area that is an area that vehicles and aircraft are not allowed to enter so as to avoid any form of interference with the broadcast signals from the localizer and glideslope. Khalafallah (2006) states that POFZ was developed in order to bare any form of obstruction that may lead to the runway threshold. The taxiway layout is the one that determines the position of the holding area. It may be far from the entrance to the runway as compared to ILS conventional critical area as much as markings of the surface may be the equal. The POFZ is normally protected when the aircraft is within 2 miles of the runway threshold and the flight is in the ILS approach. Further, the ceiling has to be below 250 feet and the visibility should be less the ¾ statute miles (Dixon, 2009). When an aircraft is within or at the Final Approach Fix then the ILS critical area is protected. At this point, the ceiling is normally less than 800 feet with visibility being less than 2 statute miles. A POFZ is normally clear if when the wing of an aircraft that is holding on the taxiway penetrates the POFZ (Khalafallah, 2006). Neither the fuselage nor the tail should be allowed to penetrate the POFZ. If the POFZ is unclear then the minimum height above the touchdown is 250 feet with a minimum visibility of ¾ statute miles. Public Safety Zones (PSZs) Edwards (2009) cites that these are pieces of land at the end runways that were designed in order to limit human intervention and this reduces death or any form of injury when an aircraft takes off or lands. The areas that consist of so many people such as shopping malls, stadiums, industrial areas are put into consideration as safe areas. The airport management has to ensure that these zones are free from toxic and explosive substances like chemical plants and fuel tanks to reduce significantly any form of damage to passengers. When an aircraft takes off or lands, it exposes people and property at its vicinity and great danger. This is because when the unfortunate situations such engine failure or missed approach then harmful substances are emitted into the environment causing harm. In order to deal with this problem amicably, it is recommended that land use for some sensitive activities has to be in a specified buffer zone that is approximated to be an area of 4km2. This area should extend literally to a distance from the center of every runway of 0.5 km in all directions and longitudinal it has to be 4.0 km measured from all paved runway surface (Hardway, 1991). However, it is vital to note that the above mentioned measurements may change with regard to growth of traffic at the airport in conjunction with risk analysis being carried out. Conclusion In conclusion, security provision at the airport is very essential in ensuring that passengers together with their goods and airport operators are safe. The airport’s management should educate all airport operators about the dangers of entering the prohibited areas. Further, the design of the airport should in a manner that when an aircraft is entering the airport it does cause any damage. Safety at the airport needs to be observed by all stakeholders so as to ensure secure airport operations. References: Ashford, N. J., et.al. (2011). Airport Engineering: Planning, Design and Development of 21st Century Airports: Willy.com Dixon, L. E. (2009). Actions taken and needed to Improve FAA’s Runway Safety Area: DIANE Publishing. Edwards, B. (2004). The Modern Airport Terminal: New Approaches to Airport Architecture: Routledge Publisher Hardway, R. M. (1991). Airport Regulation, Law and Public Policy: The Management and growth of Infrastructure: ABC – CLIO Publisher Khalafallah, A. M. (2006). Optimal Construction Site Layout Planning for Airport Expansion Projects: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Read More