Jet Transports Characteristics Related to Airports

The changes in design and performance of jet transports, since they were first introduced in commercial service, are reviewed, particularly as these changes affect airports. The trend is to manufacture aircraft with higher thrust-to-weight ratios than their predecessors. This factor, along with improvements in the aerodynamic characteristics of aircraft, has been beneficial in preventing an increase in runway length and reducing noise over populated areas. There is a trend toward mounting engines on the fuselage aft of the wings, rather than suspending them from the wings. All new subsonic aircraft will be equipped with turbo-fan engines. These engines are less noisy on the exhaust end than turbojet engines, and are therefore better for takeoff. However, for landing, the compressor whine of the fan engine is more irritating. For aircraft with long wheel bases, radii of curvature of new taxiways should not be less than 300 to 400 ft. Existing taxiways with smaller radii will require widening.