CEE 4674 Airport Planning and Design
	Course Information Course Objectives Textbook and Materials Computer Literacy Course Evaluation Homework Policy Office Hours Weekly Planner Homework Page Interesting Web Sites Matlab Tutorial Files Student Presentation Information Common Aircraft Operating in the National Airspace System

A Falcon 7X Takes Off from Virginia Tech/Montgomery County Airport (A.A. Trani).

I. COURSE INFORMATION

Instructor:   Dr. Antonio A. Trani

Address:       Patton Hall 301-P 
               Department of Civil Engineering
               Virginia Tech
Telephone:     (540) 231-4418 (office)
Email: 		vuela@vt.edu

Class Hours:   9:05 to 9:55 AM (MWF) (Exam Code 09M)
Room:			PAT 316
Index Number:	82326

This course is designed for engineering students who would like to understand how airports are designed and planned. The course is suitable for civil, mechanical, aerospace, and industrial engineering students. The information provided in this course falls into three categories: 1) aircraft runway performance and airport interaction, 2) planning the airport system, and 3) analysis methods used in airport engineering.

II. COURSE OBJECTIVES

To provide the student with tools and methods to analyze and plan effectively airports. The course will emphasize in the following issues: 1) technology of air vehicles related to airport engineering, 2) operating principles and costs, and 3) airport planning and systems analysis techniques.

After attending this courses you should be able to do the following:

• Briefly describe important milestones in airport development
• Describe various aircraft classifications used in airport design
• Calculate the airport runway length needed for safe airport operations
• Calculate various runway safety areas including analysis of EMAS dimensions
• Estimate the optimal orientation of a runway (wind rose analysis) using FAA computer software
• Describe the main elements of an airport master plan
• Estimate if man-made and natural objects constitute obstacles to navigation in the vicinity of an airport
• Estimate the capacity of any airport configuration using analytical techniques
• Estimate airport demand using simple regression models
• Estimate airport delays using queueing models
• Analyze the noise impacts of aircraft in the vicinity of airports using computer models
• Estimate the geometric design characteristics of an airport including taxiways, aprons and runways
• Describe the advantages and disadvantages of various airport landside configurations.

III. TEXTBOOK AND READING MATERIALS

a) CEE 4674 Course Notes by Dr. A. A. Trani

b) Various Advisory Circulars as mandated by the instructor during the semester (see a list below).

c) Optional reading materials

Relevant FAA Advisory Circulars and documents for class will be required reading in class. FAA documents change frequently as new standards for airport design are developed. You can visit the FAA The most important advisory circular (AC) for this course is: .

Optional Reading Materials

There are several books that can be used to complement the information presented in this course:

Other General Interest Books about Airports

The student is expected to read all the materials assigned as these are crucial to the comprehension of the topic. Class notes and various readings materials posted in the Internet. Readings from civil engineering journals for various topics will be assigned to complement your knowledge of the subject.

IV. COMPUTER LITERACY

This course will require that you install, run and interpret airport design software developed by the FAA, the author and third parties. Students are expected to have access to a computer and be able to perform simple tasks using a spreadsheets (Excel) or execute scripts provided by the instructor in MATLAB when needed.

V. HOMEWORK AND HONOR CODE PROTOCOL

Homework will be assigned as closely as possible to the course schedule provided. No late assignments will be accepted unless there is a very justifiable reason. You must attempt all the assignments as they count a good percentage of your grade. Homeworks will be assigned on Friday and will be due the following Friday before class . Please turn your homework as a single PDF file via Canvas. Include all your sample calculations, discussion and graphs in the single PDF file      . You are encouraged to attempt all the assignments as they count a good percentage of your grade. I encourage discussion between individuals in class and outside class on how to solve problems. However, it is expected that you turn in individual assignments that truly reflect your own work. This is critical for you to do well in the partial and final exams. In general, I would like to see your homework assignments organized in the following sections: a) problem description, b) flowchart (if applicable) or a verbal description of the approach to solve the problem, c) problem solution (including computations), d) analysis and comments. In other words, I do not like to see a lot of output from a spreadsheet or numerical tool like Matlab without a clear explanation on how you approached the problem. In order to give you partial credit your analysis section needs to be well organized and add as many comments as you want to make things understadable. Comments help me and the teaching assistant understand what you are attempting to do with the program.

I expect you to follow the Honor Code of Virginia Tech. If you do not know the Honor Code of Virginia Tech please refer to your student handbook or read more about it at http://www.honorsystem.vt.edu/. The Undergraduate Honor Code pledge that each member of the university community agrees to abide by states:

“As a Hokie, I will conduct myself with honor and integrity at all times. I will not lie, cheat, or steal, nor will I accept the actions of those who do.” 

A student who has doubts about how the Honor Code applies to any assignment is responsible for obtaining specific guidance from the course instructor before submitting the assignment for evaluation. Students are strongly discouraged from misusing sites such as Chegg and CourseHero, as well as misusing ChatGPT and other Generative Artificial Intelligence. Students are strongly encouraged to consult their faculty members regarding the use of such outside materials as the misuse of these sources may constitute a violation of the Honor Code. Ignorance of the rules does not exclude any member of the University community from the requirements and expectations of the Honor Code. 

Honor Code Pledge for Assignments: The Virginia Tech honor code pledge for assignments is as follows: 

“I have neither given nor received unauthorized assistance on this assignment.” 

The pledge is to be written out on all graded assignments at the university and signed by the student. The honor pledge represents both an expression of the student’s support of the honor code and a commitment to uphold the academic standards at Virginia Tech. 

VI. FINAL  PROJECT

The students will have the opportunity to execute a mini-project (design project) as part of this class. The idea is to use of the ideas learned in class and apply them to problems of your own discipline. I will provide more information as the course evolves.

VII. COURSE EVALUATION

The following grading system will be used in this course.

Tentative grading system

VIII. OFFICE HOURS and Other HELP

My office is located in Patton Hall 301P . You can reach me via mail to vuela(at)vt.edu. I will have the following virtual (due to Covid-19) office hours this semester.

The TA will be Afshin Olamai. His office is located in Patton Hall 301 (Graduate Student Offic area). Please visit him during the designated office hours only.

Covid-19 and Influenza Protocols

Virginia Tech is committed to protecting the health and safety of all members of its community. By participating in this class, all students agree to abide by the Virginia Tech Wellness principles (https://ready.vt.edu/public-health-guidelines.html#wellness). To adhere to these, you must do the following in this class:

• Isolate yourself from campus if you test positive for COVID or begin to feel symptoms that might be related to COVID (see: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.html).
• Be respectful of the well-being of others by practicing appropriate personal hygiene and by providing appropriate physical distance when feasible.

If a student misses significant class activities because of the need to self-isolate, then the Dean of Students Office should be contacted for an official absence verification. Prolonged absences may be difficult to make-up. Students should consult with their advisor about possible options if too much course work is missed to feasibly make-up.

Special Accommodations

Students are encouraged to address any special needs or special accommodations with me during the first two weeks of the semester, or as soon as you become aware of your needs. Those seeking accommodations based on disabilities should obtain a Faculty Letter from the Services for Students with Disabilities office (540-231-0858) located at 250 S. Main Street Suite 300 (Kent Square). You can visit the following web site for information http://www.ssd.vt.edu/ ).

University Principles

Virginia Tech is a public land-grant university, committed to teaching and learning, research, and outreach to the Commonwealth of Virginia, the nation, and the world community. Learning from the experiences that shape Virginia Tech as an institution, we acknowledge those aspects of our legacy that reflected bias and exclusion. Therefore, we adopt and practice the following principles as fundamental to our on-going efforts to increase access and inclusion and to create a community that nurtures learning and growth for all of its members:

• We affirm the inherent dignity and value of every person and strive to maintain a climate for work and learning based on mutual respect and understanding.
• We affirm the right of each person to express thoughts and opinions freely. We encourage open expression within a climate of civility, sensitivity, and mutual respect.
• We affirm the value of human diversity because it enriches our lives and the University. We acknowledge and respect our differences while affirming our common humanity.
• We reject all forms of prejudice and discrimination, including those based on age, color, disability, gender, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, and veteran status. We take individual and collective responsibility for helping to eliminate bias and discrimination and for increasing our own understanding of these issues through education, training, and interaction with others.
• We pledge our collective commitment to these principles in the spirit of the Virginia Tech motto of Ut Prosim (That I May Serve).

Home

Assignments

Solutions

Syllabus

Evaluation

Help