Counting Aircraft Operations at Non-Towered Airports (2007)

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5STATEMENT OF PROBLEM Annual aircraft operations estimates are used in aviation system planning, airport master planning, environmental studies, aviation forecasts, and to determine funding and design criteria for the nation’s airports. At airports with air traffic control towers, aircraft operations are tracked and recorded by the air traffic controller; however, most airports in the United States do not have air traffic control towers (1). Such airports are generally known as non-towered, and they comprise the vast majority of the airports open to the public. Accordingly, unlike the larger towered airports, these non-towered airports do not have readily available records on aircraft activity. Consequently, many state avia- tion agencies and some airports and metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) have developed aircraft traffic counting programs to track airport activity at their airports, although many have not. For airports without air traffic control towers or with part-time towers, the number and type of operations may be based on the best guess of the air- port manager or on prior-year counts, adjusted for assumed growth. Knowledge of the most accurate means of counting and estimating actual operations at these smaller airports would be desirable. The corresponding operations data col- lected could then be included on FAA Airport Master Record Form 5010, because this form is often used as a source for these data in system planning, master planning, forecasting, and funding. PURPOSE OF STUDY This synthesis project identifies and evaluates the different methods of counting and estimating aircraft operations at non-towered airports being used by the states, airports, and MPOs. It also identifies any new technology that could be used to count and estimate aircraft operations. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY In Practical Research: Planning and Design, Leedy states that the qualitative approach is a logical methodology for research in business (2). This study follows Leedy’s rationale and uses predominantly a qualitative approach where data are gathered by means of a questionnaire, telephone inter- views (where necessary), e-mail correspondence, and pub- lished studies and texts. On November 28, 2006, the survey questionnaires were distributed by e-mail by NASAO to all state aviation agen- cies. The survey was also sent to a few airports and MPOs known by the topic panel members to have aircraft traffic counting programs, in addition to any revealed by state aviation agencies when they responded to the question- naire. Those agencies that did not respond were contacted directly. The questionnaire included 16 questions about the respondent’s method(s) for estimating aircraft operations at non-towered airports. If equipment was used to sample traffic, the questionnaire asked about the type of equipment, the cost, and the number of runways it covered. The ques- tionnaire also asked about the time it took to use the respon- dent’s method, the strengths and limitations of the method, and what each respondent used the resulting operations data for. In addition, a comprehensive review of the literature related to aircraft traffic counting and estimating of opera- tions at non-towered airports was undertaken. Transporta- tion Research Information Services (TRIS) Online, hosted by the National Transportation Library, was included in this search, in addition to Internet searches using various search engines. Various aviation industry trade organizations were also contacted for any information they might have on this sub- ject. Potential crossover technology was also investigated to determine if there was any other technology that could count aircraft as a spin-off use from its intended purpose. QUESTIONNAIRE RESPONSE RATE Questionnaires were sent to the 50 state aviation agencies of the United States, 7 airports, and 4 metropolitan or regional planning organizations to ascertain the methods they use to count and estimate aircraft operations at non-towered airports. Two states (Idaho and Oregon) each completed two ques- tionnaires. Idaho completed one questionnaire for its state- managed airports and one for the rest; both responses are included. Oregon returned responses from a current employee and a former employee familiar with their aircraft traffic counting program. Its responses were consolidated into one. Of the 51 questionnaires returned (an 84% response rate), 45 were from state aviation agencies, 5 from airports, and 1 from an MPO. Of the 50 states aviation agencies, 44 were repre- sented; 88% of the states. CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION

6DEFINITION OF TERMS • Advisory circular (AC)—advisory circulars are pub- lished by the FAA to inform the public in a systematic way of nonregulatory material. They are issued to pro- vide guidance and information in a designated area or to demonstrate an acceptable manner for complying with a related Federal Aviation Regulation (3). Com- pliance with FAA Advisory Circulars is mandatory for obligated airports. • Distance measuring equipment (DME)—equipment (airborne and ground) that measures the slant range dis- tance of an aircraft from the DME navigation aid in nautical miles (4). • Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR)—a set of regulations (Chapter I of Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations) established to promote the safety of civil aviation both domestically and inter- nationally (5). • Fixed base operator—a business operation at an airport that provides, but is not limited to, such services as aircraft sales, aircraft maintenance, flight instruction, and charter flights (5). • General aviation—all aviation other than military and commercial common carriage, including business fly- ing, flight instruction, personal flying, and commercial flying such as agricultural pesticide spraying and aerial photography (5). • Operation—a takeoff or a landing at an airport (6). • Magnetometer—an instrument used to measure the intensity and direction of a magnetic field (7). In traf- fic counting, the detector measures the difference in the level of the earth’s magnetic forces that occurs when a vehicle passes near its sensor and a count is recorded. • Acoustical—of or relating to sound, the sense of hear- ing, or the science of sound (7). In traffic counting, a detector monitors acoustic signals and records a count when the signal matches an aircraft takeoff. • Pneumatic—of or relating to air or other gases (7). In traffic counting, a tube is installed across a taxiway and when an aircraft travels over the tube a pulse of air activates the counter to record the movement.