This AC contains the specifications for airport light bases, transformer housings, junction boxes, and accessories. This AC is not intended to be a compilation of currently available product designs. It provides the basic standard requirements for critical dimensions and performance requirements to which all manufacturers must demonstrate compliance.

Contains the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) standards and recommendations for the geometric layout and engineering design of runways, taxiways, aprons, and other facilities at civil airports.This substantial revision fully incorporates all previous changes to AC 150/5300-13 as well as new standards and technical requirements.

See also Interim Guidance on Land Uses Within a Runway Protection Zone.

Contains standards for the planning, design, installation, and maintenance of Engineered Materials Arresting Systems (EMAS) in runway safety areas (RSAs).

This AC describes the Airport Lighting Equipment Certification Program (ALECP). It provides information on how an organization can get Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) acceptance as a third-party certification body (third-party certifier) and how manufacturers may get equipment qualified under the program. It includes a list of the equipments that are certified under the program. This AC does not impose requirements or mandate participation in the ALECP by any party. This revision clarifies the criteria that FAA will use to determine whether a certification body qualifies for participation and how equipment may be qualified.

Provides guidance and recommendations on the installation of airport visual aids.

See also--

• The Design, Installation, and Maintenance of In-Pavement Airport Lighting (PDF) by Arthur S. Schai

Contains the FAA's performance standards, specifications, and recommendations for the design, manufacture, testing and maintenance of equipment used in the boarding of airline passengers. The physical area covered in this AC is that which is bounded by the door of the passenger terminal area, on one end, to the door of the aircraft, on the other end. Although this AC refers only to aircraft boarding (enplaning), all references apply equally to disembarking (deplaning) with the described procedures occurring in reverse order.

The previous version of this AC discussed only the passenger lift scenario and associated equipment. This document updates that effort and addresses the other methods and equipment used to board an aircraft, including passenger boarding bridges, ramps, lifts, and aircraft boarding chairs.

Provides standards for the design of heliports serving helicopters with single rotors. Basic concepts can also be applied to facilities serving helicopters with tandem (front and rear) or dual (side by side) rotors; although many standards will not apply to these facilities.

This version adds guidance for pavement or structure larger than the touchdown and liftoff area (TLOF), but less than the size of the final approach and take off (FATO); turbulence effects; clearance between parking areas and taxi routes and within parking areas; minimum dimensions of curved approach/departure airspace; Touchdown/Positioning Circle (TDPC) Marking; Flight Path Alignment Guidance markings and lights; Emergency Helicopter Landing Facility Requirements (EHLF); FATO to FATO separation distance for simultaneous operations; revised standards for size of “H” for general aviation heliports; increased TLOF size when the FATO of a hospital heliport is not load bearing; and Heliport Protection Zone (HPZ) for hospital heliports. See "Principal Changes" for a complete list.

Provides guidance on the use of remote sensing technologies in the collection of data describing the physical infrastructure of an airport. This version is a substantial rewrite and includes new sections on remote sensing technologies other than aerial imagery (primarily LIDAR) for collecting airport data. See also the Airports GIS website.

Focuses on nondestructive testing (NDT) equipment that measures pavement surface deflections after applying a static or dynamic load to the pavement. It also briefly introduces other types of nondestructive measuring equipment to illustrate how supplementing NDT data with other test data may improve the quality and reliability of the pavement evaluation. This version updates Chapter 8, NDT-Based Evaluation and Design Updates, to reflect the requirements of the pavement design program FAARFIELD rather than the previous design program LEDFAA.

See also Airport Design Software.

Provides guidance for the planning, design, installation, and maintenance of aviation grade artificial turf in areas adjacent to the operational areas of an airport.

Contains the FAA standards for the Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI) systems, which provides pilots with visual glideslope guidance during approach for landing.

See also--

• Engineering Briefs
• National Airspace System Standards
• Notice to Manufacturers of Airport Lighting and Navigation Aid Equipment about AIP Buy American Requirement (12/19/2011). The FAA is requesting information to determine if waivers to this requirement are needed.

Provides guidelines for operational safety on airports during construction. Principal changes include prohibiting construction in safety areas when associated runway or taxiway is open, providing guidance for incorporating safety risk management, and including checklists for writing Construction Safety and Phasing Plans (CSPP) and for daily inspections.

Contains the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) standards for retroreflective markers for airport runways and taxiways. Version D changes Paragraph 3.4.2.2, Cylindrical Markers, to increase the marker diameter and surface area, and Paragraph 3.4.3.1, Mounting System, to clarify Type II marker mounting and tethering requirements.

Effective six months after the issue date of this AC, only equipment qualified per these specifications will be listed in AC 150/5345-53, Airport Lighting Equipment Certification Program.

Provides guidance for using the standardized International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) method, called the Aircraft Classification Number – Pavement Classification Number (ACN-PCN) method, to report airport runway, taxiway, and apron pavement strength. Includes instructions for using the COMFAA program to calculate ACN values to determine PCN.

Also provides guidance for reporting changes to airport data that is generally published on Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Form 5010, Airport Master Record, particularly those data elements associated with Gross Weight (Data Elements 35 through 38) and Pavement Classification Number (Data Element 39).

Access COMFAA and related Support Spreadsheet on our Airport Design Software page.

Contains the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) specifications for series to series isolation transformers for use in airport lighting systems.

Provides an interactive specification that airports can use in procuring Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) vehicles. It describes the selection process, vehicle requirements, and how to produce formal specifications.

Establishes minimum performance requirements for the design, construction, inspection, and maintenance of heated pavement systems for use in the Aircraft Operations Area (AOA).

Provides guidance on the use of avian radar systems to supplement an airport’s Wildlife Hazard Management Plan (WHMP) and reduce the potential avian threats to aircraft.

See also:

• Airport Improvement Program (AIP) Guidance Letter 12-04: Avian Radars (3/5/2012) Discusses the eligibility of Avian Radar Systems and the justification required to use AIP grant funds to acquire and install them.
• Notice to Manufacturers of Airport Avian Radar Systems about AIP Buy American Requirement (10/28/2011). The FAA is requesting information to determine if waivers to this requirement are needed.

Provides FAA standards and recommendations for the training of airport firefighting and rescue personnel in the proper operation and tactical use of Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) vehicles and ARFF vehicles equipped with High Reach Extendable Turret (HRETs). This guidance includes the development of department Standard Operating Guidelines (SOGs) and the development of department proficiency evaluation standards.

Provides guidance for developing and managing an airport foreign object debris (FOD) program.  In addition, this AC provides specifications for the equipment used in FOD removal operations.

The described program addresses prevention, detection, removal, and evaluation as well as strategies and practices that can help reduce FOD at airports. The guidelines presented in this AC are advisory and can be implemented at the discretion of the airport operator in accordance with the airport operator’s approved Airport Certification Manual.

This AC cancels AC 150/5380-5B, Debris Hazards at Civil Airports, dated July 5, 1996.

Provides guidance on the design, construction, and operation of aircraft rescue and fire fighting (ARFF) training facilities.

Provides guidance to assist airport operators in preparing for water rescue operations.

Provides the specified manufacturing requirements for panels used for remote control of airport lighting and auxiliary systems.

Contains a specification for constant current regulators (CCR) and a monitor for use with airport lighting circuits.

See also Engineering Brief 67, Light Sources Other than Incandescent and Xenon for Airport and Obstruction Lighting Fixtures.

Contains the FAA specifications for unlighted and lighted signs to be used on taxiways and runways. See also Engineering Brief 67: Light Sources Other than Incandescent and Xenon for Airport and Obstruction Lighting Fixtures.