This AC contains the FAA standards for markings used on airport runways, taxiways, and aprons.

This AC contains a specification for wind cone assemblies to be used to provide wind information to pilots. This revision revises the equipment qualification requirements to be furnished under the Federal grant assistance program for airports, applies photometric requirements for internally lighted wind cones to both Size 1 and Size 2 windsocks, and makes editorial changes.

This AC provides guidance on airport terminal and landside wayfinding, signing, and graphics. It focuses on four areas of the airport: roadways, parking, curbside and ground transportation, and terminal. This version is a substantial rewrite and incorporates the recommendations and guidelines developed under Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) Report 52, Wayfinding and Signing Guidelines for Airport Terminals and Landside, completed in 2011.

This AC provides standards for a system of airport marking consisting of certain pilot aids and traffic control devices.

This AC provides specifications for L-824 underground electrical cable for airport lighting circuits.

This AC provides guidance for engineers, airport managers, and the public about the design and construction of airport surface storm drainage systems; and subsurface drainage systems for paved runways, taxiways, and aprons. It incorporates the DOD Unified Facilities Criteria (UFC) draft document, Surface Drainage Design, dated August 1, 2006. This revision adds guidance that was not included in the original DOD document. See paragraph 5,, "Purpose of this Revision."

This AC provides standards and recommendations for use in the design of aircraft deicing facilities.

This AC provides guidance to assist operators in planning, designing, and constructing seaplane bases and associated facilities.

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 specification sets forth the FAA requirements for obstruction lighting equipment used to increase conspicuity of structures to permit early obstruction recognition by pilots.

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 development, installation, testing, approval, and maintenance of Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast (ADS-B) Out squitter units for airport ground vehicles. Using this AC, airports will be able to acquire approved and authorized airport ground vehicle ADS-B squitter units that are compliant with Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Part 91, Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS–B) Out Performance Requirements to Support Air Traffic Control (ATC) Service, as well as the initial set of ADS-B applications. Please note that the technical specifications for manufacturing ADS-B squitter units for airport ground vehicles are published in the FAA’s document, Vehicle Automatic Dependent Surveillance - Broadcast (ADS-B) Specification, Version 2.4, published May 1, 2012.

Contact the appropriate FAA Airport District Office or Regional Airports Division to discuss Airport Improvement Program (AIP) eligibility.

Learn more about Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B).

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.

Provides standards for the construction of airports. Items covered in this AC include general provisions, earthwork, flexible base courses, rigid base courses, flexible surface courses, rigid pavement, fencing, drainage, turfing, and lighting installation.

Access related Pay Reduction Spreadsheets on our Airport Design Software page.

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.

Specifies the minimum requirements for an Airport Lighting Control and Monitoring System (ALCMS). The ALCMS simplifies the control and monitoring of lighted visual aids and enhances airport safety. The basic function of the system remains the same whether for a general aviation airport that supports only a few operations in a day or a large commercial airport which caters to hundreds of operations on any given day.

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.