CEE 5614 Quick Overview of Aircraft Classiﬁcations Dr...

Air Transportation Systems Laboratory

CEE 5614

Quick Overview of Aircraft Classifications

Dr. Antonio A. Trani Professor

Civil and Environmental Engineering

January 2018

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Material Presented

• The aircraft and its impact operations in the NAS

• Aircraft classifications

• Explain the impact of aircraft classifications and their effect in aviation operations

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Relevance of Aircraft Characteristics

• Aircraft classifications are necessary in airport and airspace operations

• Most of the airport design standards are related to aircraft size (i.e., wingspan, aircraft length, aircraft wheelbase, aircraft seating capacity, etc.)

• Many of the same standards apply to the modeling and simulation of aviation operations

• The Next Generation (NextGen) air transportation system will cater to a more diverse pool of aircraft

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Aircraft Performance in Aviation Operations

Important to know the performance aspects of the aircraft on the ground and in the air to model aviation operations

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source: https://contentzone.eurocontrol.int/aircraftperformance/details.aspx?ICAO=B738&NameFilter=737

source: A. A. Trani

source: Eurocontrol AircraftPerformance database


Aircraft Performance in Aviation Operations

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source:https://contentzone.eurocontrol.int/aircraftperformance/details.aspx?ICAO=DH8C&GroupFilter=9

source: A. A. Trani

source: Eurocontrol AircraftPerformance database

The turbo-prop aircraft shown to the right shows significant performance differences with the Boeing 737-800 presented in the previous slide


Geometric Design Classification (ICAO)

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Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Design Criteria

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• Planning airport operations requires information of various aircraft features

• The FAA considers three important features of every aircraft:

• Aircraft Approach Category (AAC)

• Airplane Design Group (ADG)

• Taxiway Design Group (TDG)

• The following slides provide some guidance in how to find these three attributes for each aircraft


Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Aircraft Design Group (ADG) Classification

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Design Group

Tail Height(Feet)

Wingspan(feet)

RepresentativeAircraft Types

I <20 <49 Cessna 172, Beech 36, Cessna 421, Learjet 35

II 20 to <30 49 to < 79 Beech B300, Cessna 550Falcon 50, Challenger 605

III 30 to <45 79 to < 118 Boeing 737, Airbus A320CRJ-900, EMB-190

IV 45 to < 60 118 to < 171 Boeing 767, Boeing 757,Airbus A300, Douglas DC-10

V 60 to < 66 171 to < 214 Boeing 747, Airbus A340, Boeing 777

VI 66 to <80 214 to < 262 Airbus A380, Antonov 124*

* The Antonov 225 has a wingspan of 290 feet (in a class by itself). Only one aircraft produced.


FAA Aircraft Approach Speed Classification (AAC)

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Note: Approach speed varies with aircraft mass


Example of Aircraft Approach Speed Variations

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• Consider the Airbus A340-500 - a long-range aircraft

source:AirbusA340-500AirplaneCharacteristicsforAirportPlanning

• Approach speed at 180,000 kg landing mass ~ 125 knots

• Approach speed at 300,000 kg landing mass (maximum allowable landing mass) ~ 160 knots

ApproachSpeed(knots)

Max.AllowableLandingWeight300,000kg


Source to Find Aircraft Approach Speed and Aircraft Mass (weight) Data

• FAA Advisory Circular AC/150 5300-13 Airport Design (Appendix 1)

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Presentation of Aircraft Characteristics in Appendix 1 of AC 150/5300-13

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Aircraft Approach Class

Aircraft Design Group

Taxiway Design Group


Taxiway Design Group (TDG)

• Previous FAA guidance considered tail height and wingspan as design factors for geometric design

• New guidance (Sep. 2012)

• Dimensions of the aircraft undercarriage are also important in geometric design

• New guidance for taxiway design considers Main gear Width (MGW) and Cockpit to Main gear Dimensions (CMG)

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FAA AC 150/5300-13 Appendix 1

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source: FAA AC 150/5300-13


Consideration About CMG Distance vs Wheelbase Distance

• FAA specifies:

• Cockpit to Main Gear (CMG) dimension will be used instead of the aircraft wheelbase for aircraft where the cockpit is located forward of the nose gear (typically applies to commercial aircraft)

• For aircraft with the cockpit located aft of the nose gear, use the wheelbase instead of CMG to determine the Taxiway Design Group (TDG)

• See figures in previous slides

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Examples - Commercial Aircraft

• Most commercial aircraft have the cockpit located ahead of the nose gear (use CMG distance)

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Boeing 737-300. Twin-engine turbofan powered, commercial aircraft

Cockpit to Main Gear Distance (CMG)


Taxiway Design Group Definitions

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source: FAA AC 150/5300-13


Runway Design Code (RDC)

• Three parameters are combined to derive a so-called Runway Design Code (RDC)

• AAC, ADG and Approach Visibility Minimums

• RDC provides three parameters needed to determine certain design standards that apply at the airport

• Note: for some airport design projects the TDG parameters is also critical to determine taxiway-to-runway distances

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Approach Visibility Minimums

• Defined by a parameter called Runway Visual Range (RVR)

• “RVR is the range over which the Pilot of an aircraft on the centre line of a runway can see the runway surface markings or the lights delineating the runway or identifying its centre line.” (ICAO)

• RVR is normally expressed in feet or in meters

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Approach Visibility Minimums

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Instrument Landing System Categories

source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjICabR4r3E

Category Decision Height (ft) RVR (ft)

I 200 2,400

II 100 1,600

IIIa 50-100 1,200

IIIb 0-50 600

IIIc 0-50 0


Aircraft Characteristic Databases

• FAA site

• http://www.faa.gov/airports/engineering/aircraft_char_database/

• Excel file with aircraft data (http://128.173.204.63/courses/cee4674/cee4674_pub/aircraft_char_122009.xls) or at

• http://www.faa.gov/airports/engineering/aircraft_char_database/)

• Eurocontrol site

• http://elearning.ians.lu/aircraftperformance/

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Sample Excel Database of Aircraft Characteristics

• Available at:

• Excel file with aircraft data (http://128.173.204.63/courses/cee4674/cee4674_pub/aircraft_char_122009.xls) or at

• http://www.faa.gov/airports/engineering/aircraft_char_database/)

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ARC = Airport Reference Code combines AAC and ADG


Example Problem # 1

• An airport is to be designed to accommodate the Boeing 757-300 aircraft. Determine the airport reference code and the taxiway design group to be used.

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• Look at the FAA aircraft database: Approach speed is 142 knots (AAC = D) and Wingspan is 124.8 feet and tail height 44.5 feet (thus group IV)

Solution:


Picture the Aircraft in Question (Sanity Check)

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Boeing 757-300 taking off at Punta Cana international Airport (A. Trani)

Aircraft pictures are available at: http://www.airliners.net


Example Problem # 1

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• Boeing 757-300 : Approach speed is 142 knots (AAC = D) and Wingspan is 124.8 feet and tail height 44.5 feet (belongs to group IV)

Boeing 757-300Belongs to Group

IV

Reason: tail height falls into III group,wingspan belongs

to group IVUse the most

critical


Wake Vortex• Every aircraft generates wakes behind the

wing due to the strong circulation required to generate lift

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Circulation Strength Boundary

Wake vortices depend on aircraft mass, wingspan and atmospheric

conditions


Legacy FAA Wake Vortex Classification

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Superheavy


Wake Vortex Recategorization Classification

• FAA Introduced a new re-categorization procedure at Memphis International Airport in 2012

• Consult FAA Order N JO 7110.608

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New Wake Vortex Classification• The new Re-Categorization (Phase 1) standards have been

developed by FAA and ICAO

• Aircraft groups have changed!

• A = Superheavy aircraft, F = small aircraft

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Blank cells are either3 nm or 2.5 nm

depending on the airport


New Wake Vortex Classification (RECAT Phase 1)

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Air Transportation Systems Laboratory 31

New Wake Vortex Classification (RECAT Phase 1)

RECATClass

RepresentativeAircraft PictureofRepresentativeAircraft

A AirbusA380-800

B Boeing747-400,Boeing777-300ER,AirbusA330-300,AirbusA350-900,AirbusA300-600,Boeing

787-8/9C McDonnellDouglasDC-10,BoeingMD-10,Boeing

DouglasMD-11,Boeing767-300

D Boeing757-200and-300,Boeing737-800,AirbusA320,AirbusA321,McDonnellDouglasMD-80,

Embraer190,BombardierCS-300,Gulfstream550and650

E BombardierCRJ-900,Embraer170/175,BombardierCRJ-700,Embraer145,Bombardier

CRJ-200,DassaultFalcon7X

F CessnaCitationJet4,GulfstreamG280,BombardierChallenger350,Cessna182,Cessna172


Implications of Aircraft Wake Classes

• In-trail separations are driven by wake class groups

• Runway capacity today is usually driven by in-trail separations

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Example # 2

• Estimate the approximate arrival capacity to a single runway at La Guardia airport if 100% of the arrivals belong to the large wake class (now Category D under RECAT Phase 1)

• Assume the typical approach speed of arrivals is 140 knots from the final approach fix to the runway

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2.5 nm + 20 second buffer Runway 04-22at LGA


Example # 2 (cont.)

• A 2.5 nautical miles + 20 second buffer translates into a headway (i.e., time between successive arrivals) of :

• The arrival capacity is the inverse of headway

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2.5 nm + 20 second buffer

140 knots140 knots

headway = 2.5nm140nm / hr

⎧⎨⎩

⎫⎬⎭3600s / hr + 20s = 84.3s

Carrivals =3600s / hr

84.3s= 42 arrivals/hr


International Air Transport Association (IATA) Classification

• Used in the forecast of aircraft movements at an airport based on the IATA forecast methodology

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Other Classifications often mentioned in Aviation Trade Magazines

• Aircraft classification based on the aircraft use

• General aviation aircraft (GA)

• Corporate aircraft (CA)

• Commuter aircraft (COM)

• Transport aircraft (TA)

• Short-range

• Medium-range

• Long-range

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General Aviation Aircraft

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Corporate Aircraft

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Commuter Aircraft

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Short-Range Transport Aircraft

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Medium-Range Transport Aircraft

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Long-Range Transport Aircraft

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Air Transportation Systems Laboratory 43

Web Sites to Learn to Recognize Various Aircraft• Pictures taken by the author at various airport (https://photos.app.goo.gl/

8bdSvdwPQU7lHIDi2)• Airliners site airliners.net • Jetphotos (https://www.jetphotos.com)• Eurontrol Aircraft Database (https://contentzone.eurocontrol.int/

aircraftperformance/default.aspx?)

AerospatialeATR-42-500

AirbusA380-800


Aircraft Trends

• Very large capacity aircraft (introduced in the third quarter of 2007)

• Airbus A380 and Boeing 747-8

• New generation ultra-efficient, long-range transport

• Boeing 787 and Airbus A350

• New generation short range aircraft

• Bombardier C-Series, Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ), Comac 919 and Irkut MC-21

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Aircraft Wing Aspect Ratio (AR)

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AR = b2 / SARb2

wing aspect ratio (dimensionless)

wingspan (ft2 or m2)

S wing area (ft2 or m2)

b

S


Evolution of Aircraft Wing Aspect Ratios

• Long range aircraft require very long and thin wings to be aerodynamically efficient

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Future aircraftdesigns


Evolution of Aircraft Mass and Wingspan

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