"taxiways connecting the two. While waiting for Gran Canaria airport to reopen, the diverted aircraft took up so much space that they were parked on the long taxiway, meaning that it could not be used for taxiing. Instead, departing aircraft had to taxi along the runway to position themselves for takeoff, a procedure known as a backtaxi or backtrack. After the threat at Gran Canaria had been contained, authorities reopened that airport. The Pan Am aircraft was ready to depart from Tenerife, but the KLM plane and a refueling vehicle obstructed its access to the runway. The Pan Am aircraft"
"Runway According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a runway is a ""defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and takeoff of aircraft"". Runways may be a man-made surface (often asphalt, concrete, or a mixture of both) or a natural surface (grass, dirt, gravel, ice, or salt). In January 1919, aviation pioneer Orville Wright underlined the need for ""distinctly marked and carefully prepared landing places, [but] the preparing of the surface of reasonably flat ground [is] an expensive undertaking [and] there would also be a continuous expense for the upkeep."" Runways are named by a"
"length of . Runway According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a runway is a ""defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and takeoff of aircraft"". Runways may be a man-made surface (often asphalt, concrete, or a mixture of both) or a natural surface (grass, dirt, gravel, ice, or salt). In January 1919, aviation pioneer Orville Wright underlined the need for ""distinctly marked and carefully prepared landing places, [but] the preparing of the surface of reasonably flat ground [is] an expensive undertaking [and] there would also be a continuous expense for the upkeep."" Runways are"
"Airport apron The airport apron or apron, sometimes known as tarmac, is the area of an airport where aircraft are parked, unloaded or loaded, refueled, or boarded. Although the use of the apron is covered by regulations, such as lighting on vehicles, it is typically more accessible to users than the runway or taxiway. However, the apron is not usually open to the general public and a permit may be required to gain access. By extension, the term ""apron"" is also used to identify the air traffic control position responsible for coordinating movement on this surface at busier airports. The"
"Taxiway A taxiway is a path for aircraft at an airport connecting runways with aprons, hangars, terminals and other facilities. They mostly have a hard surface such as asphalt or concrete, although smaller general aviation airports sometimes use gravel or grass. Busy airports typically construct high-speed or rapid-exit taxiways to allow aircraft to leave the runway at higher speeds. This allows the aircraft to vacate the runway quicker, permitting another to land or take off in a shorter interval of time. This is usually accomplished by making the exiting taxiway longer, thus giving the aircraft more space in which to"
"foot intervals depending on the minimum authorized visibility. On curved taxiway segments, Taxiway Centerline Lights may be required to be closer together. Taxiway A taxiway is a path for aircraft at an airport connecting runways with aprons, hangars, terminals and other facilities. They mostly have a hard surface such as asphalt or concrete, although smaller general aviation airports sometimes use gravel or grass. Busy airports typically construct high-speed or rapid-exit taxiways to allow aircraft to leave the runway at higher speeds. This allows the aircraft to vacate the runway quicker, permitting another to land or take off in a shorter"
"FAA as ""Any occurrence at an aerodrome involving the incorrect presence of an aircraft, vehicle or person on the protected area of a surface designated for the landing and take off of aircraft."" Runway excursion is an incident involving only a single aircraft, where it makes an inappropriate exit from the runway. This can happen because of pilot error, poor weather, or a fault with the aircraft. ""Overrun"" is a type of excursion where the aircraft is unable to stop before the end of the runway. An example is Air India Express Flight 812 in Mangalore, India in 2010. Further"
"in which to circle. Airfield traffic pattern An airfield traffic pattern is a standard path followed by aircraft when taking off or landing while maintaining visual contact with the airfield. At an airport, the pattern (or circuit in the Commonwealth) is a standard path for coordinating air traffic. It differs from ""straight-in approaches"" and ""direct climb-outs"" in that aircraft using a traffic pattern remain close to the airport. Patterns are usually employed at small general aviation (GA) airfields and military airbases. Many large controlled airports avoid the system unless there is GA activity as well as commercial flights. However, some"
"Runway incursion A runway incursion is an incident where an unauthorized aircraft, vehicle or person is on a runway. This adversely affects runway safety, as it creates the risk that an airplane taking off or landing will collide with the object. It is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) on April 27, 2006, as: ""Any occurrence at an aerodrome involving the incorrect presence of an aircraft, vehicle, or person on the protected area of a surface designated for the landing and take-off of aircraft."" In October 2007, the Federal Aviation Administration dropped its own definition of ""runway incursion"""
"Airfield traffic pattern An airfield traffic pattern is a standard path followed by aircraft when taking off or landing while maintaining visual contact with the airfield. At an airport, the pattern (or circuit in the Commonwealth) is a standard path for coordinating air traffic. It differs from ""straight-in approaches"" and ""direct climb-outs"" in that aircraft using a traffic pattern remain close to the airport. Patterns are usually employed at small general aviation (GA) airfields and military airbases. Many large controlled airports avoid the system unless there is GA activity as well as commercial flights. However, some kind of a pattern"
"Run and break In aviation, a run and break is a procedure used by high-performance aircraft to join an airfield traffic pattern without requiring the aircraft to spend a long time flying at low speed. As such, it is a procedure normally used by military aircraft at military airfields, however because it is also used by ex-military types it may sometimes be performed at civilian airfields. This maneuver is also known as initial and pitch; or in the US as an overhead maneuver or overhead break. The pilot circles some distance away from airfield at high speed until the air"
"the runway in a staggered fashion. All the Arrows thus end up at different positions downwind in the pattern to land and can land in sequence. Run and break In aviation, a run and break is a procedure used by high-performance aircraft to join an airfield traffic pattern without requiring the aircraft to spend a long time flying at low speed. As such, it is a procedure normally used by military aircraft at military airfields, however because it is also used by ex-military types it may sometimes be performed at civilian airfields. This maneuver is also known as initial and"
"Aerodrome An aerodrome (Commonwealth English) or airdrome (American English) is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither. Aerodromes include small general aviation airfields, large commercial airports, and military airbases. The term ""airport"" may imply a certain stature (having satisfied certain certification criteria or regulatory requirements) that an aerodrome may not have achieved. This means that all airports are aerodromes, but not all aerodromes are airports. Usage of the term ""aerodrome"" remains more common in the UK, Ireland and Commonwealth nations; in American English, it is only used for"
"for any area of land or water used for aircraft operation, regardless of facilities. International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) documents use the term ""aerodrome"", for example, in the Annex to the ICAO Convention about aerodromes, their physical characteristics, and their operation. However, the terms ""airfield"" or ""airport"" mostly superseded use of ""aerodrome"" after World War II, in colloquial language. In the early days of aviation, when there were no paved runways and all landing fields were grass, a typical airfield might permit takeoffs and landings in only a couple of directions, much like today's airports, whereas an aerodrome was distinguished,"
"a runway. For balloons, helicopters and some specialized fixed-wing aircraft (VTOL aircraft such as the Harrier), no runway is needed. Takeoff is the opposite of landing. Landing is the last part of a flight, where a flying aircraft or spacecraft (or animals) returns to the ground. When the flying object returns to water, the process is called alighting, although it is commonly called ""landing"" and ""touchdown"" as well. A normal aircraft flight would include several parts of flight including taxi, takeoff, climb, cruise, descent and landing. STOL is an acronym for ""short take-off and landing"", aircraft with very short runway"
"Maneuvering area A maneuvering area or manoeuvring area is that part of an aerodrome to be used by aircraft for takeoff, landing, and taxiing, excluding aprons and areas designed for maintenance of an aircraft. A movement area, as defined by ICAO, is ""That part of an aerodrome to be used for the takeoff, landing and taxiing of aircraft, consisting of the maneuvering area and the apron(s)."" In Canada, the movement area consists of the manoeuvering area and aprons. In the United States, the movement area excludes aprons. Federal Aviation Regulations part 139.5 states, """"Movement area"" means the runways, taxiways, and"
"other areas of an airport that are used for taxiing, takeoff, and landing of aircraft, exclusive of loading ramps and aircraft parking areas."" At airports/heliports with a tower, specific approval for entry onto the movement area must be obtained from air traffic control. Maneuvering area A maneuvering area or manoeuvring area is that part of an aerodrome to be used by aircraft for takeoff, landing, and taxiing, excluding aprons and areas designed for maintenance of an aircraft. A movement area, as defined by ICAO, is ""That part of an aerodrome to be used for the takeoff, landing and taxiing of"
"CTOL CTOL is an acronym for conventional take-off and landing, and is the process whereby conventional aircraft (such as passenger aircraft) take off and land, involving the use of runways. During takeoff, the aircraft will accelerate along the runway, resting on its wheels, until its takeoff speed is reached, at which point the pilot manipulates the flight controls to make the aircraft pivot around the axis of its main landing gear while still on the ground, this increases the lift from the wings and affects takeoff. During landings, a commercial passenger-carrying aircraft will arrive over the runway while still at"
"at Cleveland Municipal Airport (now known as Cleveland Hopkins International Airport) in Cleveland, Ohio. A line of lights on an airfield or elsewhere to guide aircraft in taking off or coming in to land or an illuminated runway is sometimes also known as a flare path. Runway lighting is used at airports that allow night landings. Seen from the air, runway lights form an outline of the runway. A runway may have some or all of the following: According to Transport Canada's regulations, the runway-edge lighting must be visible for at least . Additionally, a new system of advisory lighting,"
"to as PQ (""pavement quality"") concrete. In the United States, the word ""ramp"" is an older term for an area where pre-flight activities were done; an ""apron"" was any area for parking and maintenance. Passenger gates are the main feature of a terminal ramp. The word ""apron"" is the ICAO and FAA terminology (the word ""ramp"" is not), so the word ""ramp"" is not used with this meaning outside the US, Canada, Maldives, and the Philippines. Airport apron The airport apron or apron, sometimes known as tarmac, is the area of an airport where aircraft are parked, unloaded or loaded,"
"to departing planes, and from arriving planes to the baggage reclaim. The area where the aircraft park to load passengers and baggage is known as an ""apron"" or ""ramp"" (or incorrectly, ""the tarmac""). Airports with international flights have customs and immigration facilities. However, as some countries have agreements that allow travel between them without customs and immigrations, such facilities are not a definitive need for an international airport. International flights often require a higher level of physical security, although in recent years, many countries have adopted the same level of security for international and domestic travel. ""Floating airports"" are being"
"use of the apron may be controlled by the ""apron management service"" (""apron control"" or ""apron advisory"") to provide coordination between the users. The apron is designated by the ICAO as not being part of the maneuvering area. All vehicles, aircraft and people using the apron are referred to as ""apron traffic"". The US military typically refers to the apron area as the ""flight line"". Many people in the general public and news media refer to the apron at airports as ""the tarmac"" despite the fact that most of these areas are often paved with concrete, not tarmac, often referred"
"Elephant walk (aeronautics) An elephant walk is a USAF term for the taxiing of military aircraft right before takeoff, when they are in close formation. Often, it takes place right before a Minimum Interval Takeoff. The term ""elephant walk"" dates to World War II when large fleets of allied bombers would conduct attacks in missions containing 1,000 aircraft. Those who observed this said that the taxiing of these large numbers of aircraft to takeoff in single file in nose-to-tail formations said that they looked like elephants walking to the next watering hole. Over time, it was incorporated into the lexicon"
"Moving walkway A moving walkway or moving sidewalk (American English), also known as an autowalk or as in British English as a skywalk, horizontal escalator, travolator, travelator, or travellator, is a slow-moving conveyor mechanism that transports people across a horizontal or inclined plane over a short to medium distance. Moving walkways can be used by standing or walking on them. They are often installed in pairs, one for each direction. The first moving walkway debuted at the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893, in Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It had two different divisions: one where passengers were seated, and"
"visibility of windsocks is limited, often multiple glow-orange windsocks are placed on both sides of the runway. Most airports have groundcrew handling the loading and unloading of passengers, crew, baggage and other services. Some groundcrew are linked to specific airlines operating at the airport. Among the vehicles that serve an airliner on the ground are: The length of time an aircraft remains on the ground in between consecutive flights is known as ""turnaround time"". Airlines pay great attention to minimizing turnaround times in an effort to keep aircraft utilization (flying time) high, with times scheduled as low as 25 minutes"
"Jet bridge A jet bridge (also termed jetway, gangway, aerobridge/airbridge, air jetty, portal, skybridge, finger, or its official industry name passenger boarding bridge (PBB)) is an enclosed, movable connector which most commonly extends from an airport terminal gate to an airplane, and in some instances from a port to a boat or ship, allowing passengers to board and disembark without going outside or being exposed to the elements. Depending on building design, sill heights, fueling positions, and operational requirements, a jet bridge may be fixed or movable, swinging radially and/or extending in length. The jetway was invented by Frank Der"
"a plane is no longer capable of returning to the airfield from which it took off. It can also mean the instance in which an aircraft taxis down a runway, gaining a certain speed, and must become airborne in lieu of a crash or explosion on the runway for example Charles Lindbergh's heroic and dangerous takeoff in ""The Spirit of St. Louis"" in 1927 in which there was uncertainty about the plane's ability to take off of a 5,000 foot mud soaked runway fully loaded with aviation fuel. The first major metaphorical use of the term in popular culture was"
"the main runway. The term ""airport"", rather than airfield, is used to describe the present-day facility because it has a terminal building and customs facilities. It is host to a wide range of private/business jet and turbo-prop aircraft up to the size of a Boeing 737. The main airport apron has recently been enlarged; the one remaining hangar on the old south camp has been totally re-clad and a planning application has been posted for further hangars on the eastern side. A model aircraft site operates within its Air Traffic Zone, operating large model aircraft. In 2009 there were sightings"
"Birr; Inisheer; Inishmaan; Inishmore; Newcastle, County Wicklow; and Trim. Aerodrome An aerodrome (Commonwealth English) or airdrome (American English) is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither. Aerodromes include small general aviation airfields, large commercial airports, and military airbases. The term ""airport"" may imply a certain stature (having satisfied certain certification criteria or regulatory requirements) that an aerodrome may not have achieved. This means that all airports are aerodromes, but not all aerodromes are airports. Usage of the term ""aerodrome"" remains more common in the UK, Ireland and Commonwealth"
"to enter and leave the airway system by aircraft operating on IFR flight plans. There is a defined transition point at which an airway and a SID or STAR intersect. A SID, or Standard Instrument Departure, defines a pathway out of an airport and onto the airway structure. A SID is sometimes called a Departure Procedure (DP). SIDs are unique to the associated airport. A STAR, or Standard Terminal Arrival Route, ('Standard Instrument Arrival' in the UK) defines a pathway into an airport from the airway structure. STARs can be associated with more than one arrival airport, which can occur"
"in tight formation to the runway and maintaining such grouping during takeoff. Elephant walk (aeronautics) An elephant walk is a USAF term for the taxiing of military aircraft right before takeoff, when they are in close formation. Often, it takes place right before a Minimum Interval Takeoff. The term ""elephant walk"" dates to World War II when large fleets of allied bombers would conduct attacks in missions containing 1,000 aircraft. Those who observed this said that the taxiing of these large numbers of aircraft to takeoff in single file in nose-to-tail formations said that they looked like elephants walking to"
"Airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports often have facilities to store and maintain aircraft, and a control tower. An airport consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surface such as a runway for a plane to take off or a helipad, and often includes adjacent utility buildings such as control towers, hangars and terminals. Larger airports may have airport aprons, taxiway bridges, air traffic control centres, passenger facilities such as restaurants and lounges, and emergency services. In some countries, the"
"enough space to come to a complete stop, but has enough space to accelerate and take off again to carry out a go-around. In British parlance, the maneuver is often called ""circuits and bumps"". The standard circuit begins with a roll on the runway until the aircraft rotates (nose pitches up), a climb to 500 feet above runway/field elevation (AGL), a right or left climbing turn (depending on making either right hand or left hand circuits) to a course perpendicular to the runway, continuing to gain altitude to TPA (traffic pattern altitude) (typically 1000 feet AGL), followed by another right"