airport/documents/Mesquite Master Plan Final.pdf - The City of ...

Forecast future demand at Mesquite
Metro Airport indicated that the airport
should strive to accommodate the
majority of business jet operations up to
and including those in airport reference
code (ARC) D-II. As presented in
Chapter Three - Facility Requirements,
many business jets such as the
Challengers, Hawkers, Westwinds,
Astras, and some Learjets have
occasions when up to 7,000 feet are
needed. Thus, alternative analysis will
consider the possibility of extending
Runway 17-35 to provide at least 7,000
feet of operational length. While this
length may not be fully capable of
accommodating all aircraft needs
throughout the year, it will be more
than adequate for most aircraft
operations.
Alternative analysis will be developed
with specific attention paid to the
reasonableness of implementation, both
from a cost perspective as well as a
feasibility perspective.
TAXIWAYS
The taxiway system at an airport
consists of all aircraft transport
surfaces, excluding the runway. It is
typically designated with a yellow
centerline for the movement of aircraft
to and from the runways. Taxiways are
the primary transport surfaces linked
with the runway and its operation.
Such surfaces would include a parallel
taxiway, entrance/exit taxiways, and
connecting taxiways.
Taxilanes are those surfaces that would
typically realize a lower level of aircraft
4-6
activity because the taxilanes provide
direct ingress/egress to a specific
location or airport facility. An example
of a taxilane would be the surface which
links to a T-hangar complex. Not all
aircraft will use that surface, only those
going to and from the T-hangars.
FAA Advisory Circular (AC) 150/5300-
13, Airport Design, Change 8, provides
standards for taxiway object free areas
(OFAs) surrounding the taxiway
system. The taxiway OFA is based on
the critical aircraft design group which
will frequent that particular taxiway.
Design standards for Airplane Design
Group (ADG) II, aircraft with
wingspans from 49 feet to 79 feet,
require the taxiway OFA to be 131 feet
wide. Aircraft within ADG III, with
wingspans from 79 feet to 118 feet,
require a 186-foot-wide taxiway OFA.
The taxilane OFA required for ADG II
aircraft is 115 feet wide, whereas it
increases to 162 feet wide for ADG III
aircraft. Analysis of the existing and
future taxiway OFA will be provided in
the airside alternatives to follow.
The current layout of the taxiway
system at Mesquite Metro Airport is
adequate from a functional perspective.
There are six entrance/exit taxiways to
the runway and there is a terminal area
taxiway that improves circulation
among landside facilities. All of the
taxiways are 40 feet wide except for the
terminal area taxiway, which is 30 feet
wide. FAA design criteria call for
taxiways serving a critical aircraft in
ADG II to be at least 35 feet wide. For
aircraft in ADG III, the taxiway width
minimum is 50 feet.