U.S. Airport Acronyms II Trivia Quiz

Answer: supersonic transport

The Aerospatiale-BAC Concorde was not the only SST to go into commercial service. Aeroflot operated some Tupolev TU-144's for a total of 102 flights before withdrawing them from service in 1978 due to engine problems and high operating costs. Boeing Aircraft of the US proposed their own SST, the model 2707, but it never went into production.

Answer: Federal Inspection Station

The FIS is an area where international arriving passengers are cleared through Customs, Immigration and Agriculture. By its nature the FIS must be physically separated from the domestic part of a terminal by walls. Passengers arriving on international flights are not allowed into the public portion of the terminal until they and their luggage have been cleared.

Answer: ground power unit

The ground power unit provides battery power to an aircraft while it is on the ground with the engines and the auxiliary power unit off. (The auxiliary power unit, or APU, is a small engine onboard larger aircraft which can be operated to supply power for short layovers or if a GPU is not available.) With the GPU supplying power the radios, galley equipment, lighting and other electrical equipment can be left on while the aircraft is readied for another departure.

The GPU can also supply power to start the engines.

Some aircraft, like the Swearingen Metro, have the GPU plug in to the side of the engine nacelle. It is a lot of fun to pull the plug on a Metro after the engine has been started.

Answer: instrument landing system

The instrument landing system consists of: 1. localizer--this is a transmitter that sends a radio signal which can be picked up in an aircraft specially equipped for instrument flight rules (IFR) flight. The localizer provides lateral guidance--left and right of the runway. 2. glide slope transmitter--the glide slope signal provides elevation guidance--above or below the glide path to the runway. 3. up to 3 markers (outer, middle, inner) that signal the aircraft when it has passed over the marker on approach so the pilot knows how far he or she is from the runway. 4. approach lights which lead to the runway once the pilot has gained visual contact with the ground.

The ILS aids a pilot who has an IFR rating and is in an IFR-equipped aircraft in landing in low clouds and/or visibility.

Answer: wildlife hazard management plan

The Wildlife Hazard Management Plan details how the airport operator will deal with wildlife on the airfield. The plan includes any type of wildlife that may be present on the field, including small birds, raptors, waterfowl, rodents, foxes, coyotes, deer, buffalo and any other bird or animal that could present a hazard to aircraft. Typical measures include poisoning, harassment and lethal methods as well as preventative measures such as denying a food or nesting source and maintaining the integrity of the perimeter fencing.

Answer: flight information display system

Arrival and departure information is maintained in the FIDS system. FIDS consists of a server, workstations and display screens. Any information about the day's flights, such as gate assignments, scheduled and estimated arrival and departure times, boarding status, etc., can be input by the airline and communicated to their passengers as well as the "meeters and greeters."

Answer: regional jet

Regional jets are boons to small airports and banes to large airports. Regional jets generally carry 40-90 passengers. Small airports can see an increase in frequency of service by an airline operating regional jets in place of mainline jets such as Boeings and Airbuses which seat 130+.

The regional jet, being smaller and generally operated by a commuter line with lower personnel costs, is more economical to operate. Thus, the airline can offer more flights. It may even mean that airports that cannot support mainline service can keep their flights.

However, a regional jet takes up the same amount of airspace as a mainline jet so larger airports, especially hubs, can get congested with the additional flights.

Answer: dual tandem wheel loading

Pavement strengths are listed on the ALP, or Airport Layout Plan, for different configurations. SWL means single wheel loading, or the weight limit for an aircraft with a single wheel on each strut. DWL means dual wheel loading for an aircraft with two wheels on each strut. DTWL means dual tandem wheel loading for an aircraft with four wheels (two sets of two) on each strut. Most of the larger aircraft, like the 747 and Airbus 300, have dual tandem wheels.

Answer: pilot controlled lighting

Pilot controlled lighting is set to the same frequency pilots would use to communicate with the control tower. By tuning the radio to the common traffic frequency and clicking the mike button 5 or 7 times, the airfield lights will come on. The lights then stay on a predetermined amount of time, usually fifteen minutes. If you misjudge your landing time you have to click the mike again to turn the lights on again.

It can be very annoying to have all the airfield lights go out just before you touch down.

Answer: automated surface observation system

The Automated Surface Observation System is, as the name implies, totally automated. The system takes current weather readings at the airport where it is installed. It then records those readings on a tape. Pilots can call the phone number for the ASOS to hear a recording of the current weather.

Answer: FBO

FBO stands for fixed base operator. There are over 5200 FBOs in the US.

Answer: origination and destination passengers

O&D studies can tell an airport, and the air carriers that serve it, where passengers are going. This can help the air carriers determine where they should be flying and how often. It can also indicate to the airport what markets they should try attract service for.

For example, if an airport has a high percentage of travellers going to leisure destinations such as Las Vegas, Orlando, Phoenix and Hawaii, the airport should try to attract a low-fare carrier that, hopefully, can offer nonstop service to some of those places.

Answer: both porous friction course and passenger facility charge

A porous friction course is a special pavement mix used on some runways. The makeup allows water to runoff out to the edges of the pavement. This prevents hydroplaning where the wheels of an aircraft can "skim" along the top of a layer of water resulting in reduced braking and possible loss of control. The passenger facility charge is a charge of up to $4.50 per enplaning or transferring passenger.

The airline collects the charge and remits it to the airport. The airport must use that money for capital improvements. Generally, money for airport improvements come from the Federal Airport Improvement Program (AIP) which is funded by aviation taxes and fees.

The passenger facility charge is in addition to the AIP. Not all airports charge a PFC.

It is up to the airport's discretion.

Answer: Federal Aviation Regulation

The Federal Aviation Regulations cover everything you would expect--flight rules, pilot and mechanic licensing, pilot training, safety, airport certification, noise, and commercial aircraft operations. They cover more obscure things, too. FAR Part 101 covers "Moored Balloons, Kites, Unmanned Rockets and Unmanned Free Balloons." FAR Part 34 is about "Fuel Venting and Exhaust Emissions Requirements for Turbine Engine Powered Airplanes." And Part 417 is titled "Launch Safety." (There is no truth to the rumor that a Part 418 is being drafted with the working title "Lunch Safety.")

Answer: Universal communications (frequency)

The UNICOM frequency is a common frequency used by small airports that do not have an air traffic control tower. These airports are also called "uncontrolled airports" which is a misnomer. Pilots using these airports provide the control by announcing their intentions over the UNICOM. Believe me, pilots do not enjoy bashing into each other in the air.

A pilot strives to have an equal number of landings as takeoffs. The UNICOM frequencies are 122.8 MHz and 122.9 MHz and several airports in the same general area could be using the same frequency for UNICOM.