ASI ASI Airport & Ground Safety Operations 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under 14 CFR Part 139, which airports are required to hold an Airport Operating Certificate?
- All public-use airports in the United States
- Airports serving scheduled air carrier operations in aircraft with 30 or more passenger seats (Correct answer)
- General aviation airports with instrument approaches only
- Any airport receiving federal airport improvement funding
Correct answer: Airports serving scheduled air carrier operations in aircraft with 30 or more passenger seats
Part 139 certification is required for airports serving scheduled passenger-carrying operations conducted in aircraft certificated for 30 or more seats.
Question 2: What is a Runway Safety Area (RSA) and what standard governs its design?
- A painted warning zone; governed by FAR Part 91
- A graded, cleared area surrounding a runway to reduce damage from undershoot or excursion; governed by AC 150/5300-13 (Correct answer)
- A marked buffer area for taxiway operations; governed by Part 139
- A runway threshold lighting zone; governed by FAR Part 77
Correct answer: A graded, cleared area surrounding a runway to reduce damage from undershoot or excursion; governed by AC 150/5300-13
The RSA is a prepared area surrounding runways designed to reduce aircraft damage in the event of an excursion, with dimensions specified in AC 150/5300-13.
Question 3: What does a NOTAMthat includes the phrase 'CLSD' for a runway indicate, and who is responsible for filing it?
- Runway is cleared of snow; filed by airport maintenance
- Runway is closed; filed by the airport operator or controlling ATC facility (Correct answer)
- Runway is cloudy/IFR; filed by the National Weather Service
- Runway checkpoints are located; filed by the FAA Flight Standards District Office
Correct answer: Runway is closed; filed by the airport operator or controlling ATC facility
A NOTAM with 'CLSD' indicates the runway is closed, and the airport operator must file this NOTAM to alert pilots before the closure takes effect.
Question 4: What does 14 CFR Part 139.325 require of certificated airports regarding emergency preparedness?
- Installation of crash-fire-rescue equipment only
- Maintenance of an Airport Emergency Plan (AEP) tested by a full-scale exercise at least every three years (Correct answer)
- Annual submission of emergency procedures to the FAA only
- Daily fire drill requirements for all airport employees
Correct answer: Maintenance of an Airport Emergency Plan (AEP) tested by a full-scale exercise at least every three years
Part 139.325 mandates an Airport Emergency Plan coordinating multi-agency response procedures, which must be validated through full-scale exercises at least once every three years.
Question 5: Which FAA program provides real-time surveillance of aircraft and vehicles on airport surfaces to prevent runway incursions?
- ASDE-X (Airport Surface Detection Equipment, Model X) (Correct answer)
- ATIS (Automatic Terminal Information Service)
- PIREP (Pilot Weather Report)
- ACARS (Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System)
Correct answer: ASDE-X (Airport Surface Detection Equipment, Model X)
ASDE-X fuses radar and transponder data to give controllers a real-time picture of all traffic on airport surfaces, enabling early detection of potential runway conflicts.
Question 6: What instrument approach category determines whether a runway meets the full 500-foot-wide Runway Safety Area standard per AC 150/5300-13?
- Visual approach runways
- Non-precision approach runways only
- Category I or higher precision instrument approach runways (Correct answer)
- Runways exceeding 10,000 feet in length
Correct answer: Category I or higher precision instrument approach runways
Runways serving Category I or higher precision approaches must meet the full 500-foot-width and 1,000-foot-length-beyond-threshold RSA standards.
ASI ASI Airport & Ground Safety Operations 1
Under 14 CFR Part 139, which airports are required to hold an Airport Operating Certificate?