Articles
Plain-English reference summaries on the FAA standards behind everyday airport planning work. Each article is cited to the governing source — the AC, CFR part, or Order it draws from — and links back to the AvPlot tools that put it to use. These are planning references, not a substitute for the governing FAA text.
All Articles
AC 150/5300-13B Change 1: What Actually ChangedThe simplified Figure 1-1 and new Table 1-4 for Taxiway Design Groups, deleted entrance/exit and crossover tables, revised high-speed exits, Appendix J fillet updates, and ADG-VI revisions — effective August 16, 2024.
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How to Calculate Declared Distances (TORA, TODA, ASDA, LDA)The four declared distances under AC 150/5300-13B Appendix H — definitions, how clearway, stopway, and displaced thresholds change each value, and a worked example for both runway ends.
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Part 77 vs TERPS: Which Surfaces Apply to Your Airport14 CFR Part 77 as a screening and notice regulation (§77.19 imaginary surfaces) versus FAA Order 8260.3 (TERPS) as a procedure-design standard — when each applies and how they interact.
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Understanding Your Airport's Runway Design Code (RDC)The three-part AAC-ADG-visibility code that keys into nearly every dimensional standard in AC 150/5300-13B — how each component is determined from the critical aircraft, assembled step by step.
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Runway Protection Zones: Land Use Compatibility and DimensionsWhat can be in an RPZ — the trapezoid geometry, approach vs departure RPZ, the central portion, the dimension table by approach category and visibility, and the FAA's interim guidance on incompatible land uses.
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Preparing RSA/ROFA Documentation for an ALP UpdateThe runway safety area analysis behind an ALP update — settling the Runway Design Code, pulling RSA §3.10 and ROFA §3.12 standards, surveying existing conditions, documenting nonstandard conditions, and using declared distances as mitigation.
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Airport Master Plan: Design Standards Verification ChecklistThe runway, safety-area, taxiway, RPZ, and airspace standards to confirm in a master plan or ALP update under AC 150/5300-13B — in dependency order, with a standard-to-tool map showing which AvPlot tool verifies each one.
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Taxiway Design: Fillet Geometry and Separation StandardsWhy taxiway separation keys to the Airplane Design Group while width and fillet geometry key to the Taxiway Design Group — the Table 4-2 dimensions and the Appendix J fillet method under AC 150/5300-13B Change 1.
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How to Prepare an FAA Obstruction AnalysisThe 14 CFR Part 77 imaginary surfaces, the AC 150/5300-13B approach and obstacle clearance surfaces, how to evaluate penetrations, and when FAA Form 7460-1 notice applies.
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Airport Pavement Classification: Understanding PCN and ACNHow airport pavement strength is reported — the ACN/PCN method, how to read a PCN code, the ACN ≤ PCN rule, the ICAO move to ACR/PCR, and the FAA guidance behind it all.
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Understanding FAA Grant Assurance Obligations for Airport SponsorsWhat an airport sponsor agrees to when it accepts AIP federal grants — the grant assurances, the obligations that matter most (ALP, revenue use, access, maintenance), how long they last, and where they come from.
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Environmental Review Requirements for Airport Projects (NEPA)When and how NEPA applies to airport projects — federal action triggers, the CATEX / EA / EIS levels, the environmental impact categories, and the FAA orders (1050.1F and 5050.4B) that govern the process.
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How to Read an Airport Layout Plan (ALP)A sheet-by-sheet guide to reading an ALP — what the cover, Airport Layout Drawing, data sheets, airspace and approach drawings, land use plan, and Exhibit ‘A’ each tell you — for planners and executives who must understand one without drafting it.
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Airport Capacity Analysis: When Do You Need a New Runway?How capacity is measured — hourly capacity, Annual Service Volume, and the demand-to-ASV ratio — the FAA 60% and 80% planning thresholds, and why a new runway is the last alternative to weigh, not the first, under AC 150/5060-5.
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Taxiway Design Modifications: What Triggers a Redesign?The five triggers that put a taxiway on the redesign list — a new design aircraft, runway-incursion geometry, a separation shortfall, pavement reconstruction, and capacity — and how each one scopes the work under AC 150/5300-13B Change 1.
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More Reference
Looking for something else? The airport planning glossary defines the FAA terms used across these articles, the acronyms list expands the abbreviations, and the tool guides walk through each AvPlot tool step by step.