Arlington Municipal Airport Development Plan Arlington Airport Development Plan | Page 156
Runway Object Free Area
On the south side of the runway, perimeter fencing and a portion of Southeast Green Oaks Boulevard
fall within the ROFA in the same general area where the RSA is obstructed. On the north side of the
runway, a dense area of trees penetrates the northwestern‐most portion of the ROFA. Similar to the
RSA, it would be ideal for the Airport to clear the ROFA and gain positive control over the property in
order to meet design standards.
It should be noted that under certain circumstances, the FAA may approve a Modification to Standard
for non‐standard conditions on the airfield related to certain safety areas such as the ROFA. A Modifi‐
cation to Standard cannot be approved for RSA deficiencies on an airport. The runway extension alter‐
natives to follow provide potential solutions to meeting ROFA standards beyond each end of Runway
16‐34.
Runway Protection Zone
FAA AC 150/5300‐13A, Change 1, defines the RPZ as “An area at ground level prior to the threshold or
beyond the runway end to enhance the safety and protection of people and property on the ground.”
The goal of the RPZ standard is to increase safety for both pilots and people on the ground by main‐
taining the RPZ free of items that attract groupings of people or property.
The disposition of RPZs for each runway end should be considered individually. The FAA recommends
that an airport have ownership of the RPZ lands where feasible. If outright ownership is not feasible,
then easements can be acceptable. Easements in the RPZ should allow an airport to positively limit the
height of structures. A third option for protection of the RPZs that extend beyond airport property is
implementation of strict land use zoning that, at a minimum, prohibits residential development or oth‐
er development that could serve as a congregating point for people and restricts structure heights.
All runway ends have two RPZs: an approach RPZ and a departure RPZ. The size of each is dependent
upon the type of aircraft or RDC for which the runway is being designed. The approach RPZ is also
sized according to the lowest visibility minimums provided by the approved instrument approach pro‐
cedure(s). For runways without a displaced threshold, it is common for the approach and departure
RPZs to be in the same location. This is currently the case for the approach and departure RPZs beyond
the north end of the runway. On the south end, the approach RPZ serving Runway 34 is larger than the
departure RPZ associated with Runway 16 due to instrument approach procedures providing visibility
minimums down to ½‐mile on Runway 34. FAA’s RPZ criterion applies to both the approach and de‐
parture RPZ.
In the past, FAA guidance did not clearly identify all objects which could be located inside the RPZ ex‐
cept to qualify that the object could not be an attractant to a congregation of people. In newer guid‐
ance, however, the FAA stipulates that certain land uses are permissible without further evaluation
and other land uses will require further evaluation and ultimate FAA approval. Chapter Three outlined
Chapter Four - 10