Term Paper on "Hangar Space a Physical Plant"

Term Paper 25 pages (9159 words) Sources: 10

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Hangar Space - a Physical Plant

Hangar Space

Airport Facilities - Planning Hangar construction

The airports and the concepts regarding airport planning and construction have undergone vast changes. These relate to changes in technology, changes in demand, type of aircraft, passenger requirement, and service requirements and so on. A change in the wing span of an aircraft requires remodeling many things, from runways to hangars and equipments. On account of the competitive nature of the industry and the changing ways of usage, the planning of airports and facilities has undergone vast changes to suit the times. For example design of an airport to day has become more approach oriented that is the accessibility of the passengers to the airport is the critical issue. Developing airports and facilities are complicated maneuvers that require experts from multiple disciplines acting and planning together. In the U.S. The authority that controls the air space was created far back in the 1930s. The federal government took control of the economic aspects of aviation in 1938 the Civil Aeronautics Board -- CAB was created to control the aviation industry and is the authority for aerospace matters. (O'connor, 2001)

From the beginning of the nineteenth century, air travel has grown tremendously. In the 80's it was at about 6% per annum, and in the recent years the demand for air services is growing on account of general increase in income, and globalization. The airline and deregulation of airports have added to the expansion. Privatization has also added to the growth and future expansion of the aviation and the aviation service industry. The number of freight and passenger requirement is growing geometrically and the pressure on existing airports is very heavy. The airports spend about $40 billion in development world wide in developing airport and structures. Airport development is a dynamic growth sector. This also has an impact on employment patterns. (Banister; Berechman, 2000) Therefore considering the overall infrastructure facilities required by the airport, and the type of service envisaged by the airport and the planes that are likely to use the airports play an important role in determining the proper planning of an airport.

Airport Macro level planning

There is an economic problem in planning airports. The paradox that the increase in demand in all other cases brings about profitability does not work in this field. The performance of all the worlds' airlines in spite of expansion has been marginal. The rate of return on assets will not work with analyzing the airline profitability. Therefore a separate method has to be adopted. (Doganis, 2002) There are capital-sums invested in airports that get invested in large immovable assets which have no alternative use. The demand predictions are also out of the control of the planner. The airlines that operate will determine the volume of traffic and the use of the facilities. The airport plays the primary role of bringing together the airlines and their customers. Therefore the objective of providing infrastructure and maintaining customer satisfaction is a Herculean task. There are more issues in the planning, one that investment is huge, and the second that planning the airport construction is an ongoing process that takes anything between five to ten years to become viable. The terminal thus takes a long span of time to get completed and must have a projection of another ten years demand to make it viable to run the service. Thus airport plans need to be oriented and planned for at least fifteen years ahead. Thus it involves expert use of forecasting techniques, which will help achieve profits in future. (Doganis, 1992)

Hangars have to be similarly planned with the possible development of the types of aircraft and needs that could arise in terms of service, space and requirements. One of the key elements that retard the development of airports is the lack of access. The ground access strategy has to be well defined, but the rapid developments are also causing environmental damage. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey calculates that there is a loss of $20 million each year on account of delays, congestion, and the poor airport service is sited as a reason for the migration of business from the congested airway areas. Parameters can be "total travel time, cost and volumes for moving cargo and passengers, origins and destinations, capacity, accidents, ease of access, perceived quality and the average time to transfer people or freight from one mode to another." ("Airport Ground Access Planning Guide," n. d.) the next consideration ought to be the facilities available to the passenger, including taxis, conveyance, and traffic flow.

Early Hangars and development

We will look at the facilities at airports and then consider the issues of the hangar. Early hangars were barns converted for the purpose. In early days of aviation, the requirements often were minimal and airports were mostly for military use. For example if we consider the Garfield County Airport its hangar is odd. The hangar is barn like and built with local materials that showcase the agrarian influence on its construction. It probably was constructed by persons without any previous experience in such matters. The craftsmanship however is perfect, for the hangar is still serviceable and has withstood the ravages of time. It is now listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The important thing is that it is made of pine wood and the gables are made of timber and logs. These logs themselves were felled to ward off the black beetle. In 1930 this airport showed that remote places with airport facilities could attract business. In 1938 this completed airfield was the venue of the Air Mail Week. (Powell; Murphy, 1995)

Airfield design was pioneered in the U.S. By the air force. The field design methods that were followed by the force which was used for heavy bombers that had unprecedented weight still remain a model for construction especially in pavement design and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers created the first rigid airfield pavement design. The growth in technology has brought in many new methods like the layered elastic methods, and by itself the study of this aspect of the airport is a great branch to be considered. (Donnally, 2007) in planning the airport itself many important aspects other than hangar space determine the type of facilities required, including the type of hangars. The central area of the airport, which is among the parallel runways, would be the area which would be the most widely developed. If we consider for example the proposal to develop the Painefield airport, and the master plan that was developed for the purpose we come across specifications that would throw light on the general requirements that will incorporate on the "south side of the crosswind runway, new development in the central area will be primarily related to general aviation hangars and industrial aviation facilities. Airport compatible commercial/industrial uses are programmed for the southern portion of the central area which is the former Navy Housing site. On the east side of airport property, only the area directly east of the secondary parallel runway can be feasibly provided with taxiway access; therefore, it is the only site programmed for aviation use." ("Paine Field Airport Master Plan / Update," n. d.)

If we consider the development plan we will also know that museums and tour operations are now part of the airport industry. Further flying clubs and other agencies also use the airport. Thus planning the airport structure has to undertake the creation of many facilities. Only if the facilities are present and if the regulations regarding the mandatory requirements are met can there be a perfect design of the airport. Design of the airport and its facilities and the type of aircrafts that will use the airport is very crucial in determining the type of hangars and the facilities they ought to provide. Needs at the hangar have come a long way from the traditional hangar built of logs back in the 1930s. The regulations and requirements are to be observed for the angle of funding and legal compliance. It is also to be noted that in planning the airport, many important things like transportation issues for passengers, development of access, other facilities and services, accommodation, information services, and the special needs of the various types of craft and hangar space required are crucial.

The general guidelines for the construction of airports relates to not only the technical but also the economic considerations. While private enterprise in the aviation sector is now possible, there is the general concern about the feasibility of the projects from the angle of the government, state or the city, because in developing the airport, the authorities have to develop infrastructure outside the airport to make it useful and viable. The plan to build the airport must also take in the latest concerns of the environment, noise pollution and other similar concerns for which legal requirements have been notified. Therefore the important aspect is the study of… READ MORE

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