Arlington Municipal Airport Development Plan Arlington Airport Development Plan | Page 120

Runway Length
AC 150/5325-4B, Runway Length Requirements for Airport Design, provides guidance for determining
runway length needs. A draft revision of this AC is currently available (150/5325-4C) and the FAA is
utilizing the draft revision in most cases when evaluating runway length needs for airports. This run-
way length analysis will consider the recommendations from both versions.
The determination of runway length requirements for the Airport is based on five primary factors:
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Mean maximum temperature of the hottest month
Airport elevation
Runway gradient
Critical aircraft type expected to use the runway
Stage length of the longest nonstop destination (specific to larger aircraft)
The mean maximum daily temperature of the hottest month for Arlington Municipal Airport is 96.6 de-
grees Fahrenheit (F), which occurs in August. The Airport’s elevation is 628 feet above mean sea level
(MSL). The runway elevation difference is 31.3 feet for Runway 16-34. The gradient of the runway
conforms to FAA design standards for gradient.
AC 150/5325-4B, Runway Length Requirements for Airport Design, provides guidance for determining
runway length needs. Airplanes operate on a wide variety of available runway lengths. Many factors
will govern the suitability of those runway lengths for aircraft such as elevation, temperature, wind,
aircraft weight, wing flap settings, runway condition (wet or dry), runway gradient, vicinity airspace ob-
structions, and any special operating procedures. Airport operators can pursue policies that can max-
imize the suitability of the runway length. Policies, such as area zoning and height and hazard restrict-
ing, can protect an airport’s runway length. Airport ownership (fee simple or easement) of land lead-
ing to the runway ends can reduce the possibility of natural growth or man-made obstructions. Plan-
ning of runways should include an evaluation of aircraft types expected to use the airport, or a particu-
lar runway now and in the future. Future plans should be realistic and supported by the FAA-approved
forecasts and should be based on the critical design aircraft (or family of aircraft).
The first step in evaluating runway length is to determine general runway length requirements for the
majority of aircraft operating at the airport. The majority of operations at Arlington Municipal Airport
are conducted using smaller single engine piston-powered aircraft weighing less than 12,500 pounds.
Following guidance from AC 150/5325-4B, to accommodate 100 percent of these small aircraft, a run-
way length of 4,500 feet is recommended.
As presented earlier in this chapter, the Airport is utilized by aircraft weighing more than 12,500
pounds, including small to large business jet aircraft. Runway length requirements for business jets
weighing less than 60,000 pounds have also been calculated. These calculations take into considera-
tion the runway gradient and landing length requirements for contaminated runways (wet). Business
jets tend to need greater runway length when landing on a wet surface because of their increased ap-
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