Brown Field Municipal Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan

CHAPTER 3BROWN FIELD MUNICIPAL AIRPORT POLICIES AND MAPS3.4.9 Open Land: In the event that a light aircraft is forced to land away from an airport, the risks tothe people on board can best be minimized by providing as much “open land” area as possiblewithin the airport vicinity. This concept is based upon the fact that the majority of light aircraftaccidents and incidents occurring away from an airport runway are controlled emergencylandings in which the pilot has reasonable opportunity to select the landing site. For businessjets and other large or fast aircraft, including most military aircraft, the provision of open land foremergency landing purposes has minimal benefit unless the areas are very large and flat.(a) Open land criteria are applicable to all general aviation airport runways in that even therunways frequently used by business jets are mostly used by light aircraft.(b) To qualify as “open land”, an area must:(1) Have minimum dimensions of approximately 75 feet by 300 feet (0.5 acres).(2) Consist of level (maximum 5% slope) ground with no major surface irregularities.(3) Be free of most structures and other major obstacles, such as walls, large trees or poles(greater than 4 inches in diameter, measured 4 feet above the ground), and overheadwires.(4) Not have buildings or other large obstacles more than 15 feet in height situated within100 feet beyond the ends of the open land area. Shorter objects and ground surfaceirregularities are allowed. This clear airspace is intended to enhance the potential foraircraft to descend to an open land area.(c) Open land areas should be oriented with the typical direction of aircraft flight over thelocation involved.(d) Roads and automobile parking lots are acceptable as open land areas if they meet the abovecriteria.(e) Open land criteria for each safety zone are most appropriately applied with respect to theentire zone. Individual parcels may be too small to accommodate the minimum size openarea requirement. Consequently, the identification of open land areas must initially beaccomplished at the general plan level or as part of large (10 acres or more) projects.(f) Clustering of development, subject to the limitations noted in Policy 3.4.10 below, andproviding contiguous landscaped and parking areas is encouraged as a means of increasingthe size of open land areas.(g) Building envelopes and the airport compatibility zones should be indicated on alldevelopment plans and tentative maps, when applicable, for projects located within the AIA3–44Brown Field Municipal Airport Land Use Compatibility PlanJanuary 25, 2010 Amended December 20, 2010