Aerodrome

The airfields are actually very similar to those airports , as both have tracks and different equipment for landing aircraft. They are, in short, land that has been used to build facilities for an aircraft to be able to take off or land . They can be private , which are fully regulated by the authorities that control the airspace to function, or they can be sports , which are the aerodromes that are intended for the development of purely sports and exhibition flights., which are short-lived. These usually have a single runway and a series of hangars to store aerobatic planes , gliders or balloons . A last type of aerodrome is the military , which is, as its name indicates, in the military bases of the armed forces .

What is an airfield for?

Aerodromes work as:

• Military bases to store the airplanes used for that purpose.
• To protect and store airplanes that are used in different sports exhibitions .
• For small commercial cargo .
• In private aviation .
• Flights that function as air taxi .

Aerodrome characteristics

The main characteristics that distinguish an aerodrome are the following:

• Each aerodrome has a reference point located in the center of the initial geometry.
• The information provided at the aerodromes is given in degrees , minutes and seconds .
• The track must be oriented in the direction of the prevailing wind .
• All tracks must be clear of obstacles and out of populated areas.
• The meteorological conditions at the aerodromes must be determined .
• It is important to carry out studies of visibility , wind, clouds and the frequency in which meteorological phenomena occur in the area.
• It should not be adjacent to any type of construction .
• The length of the track is considered depending on the elevation , temperature , humidity and surface .
• The length of the runway, the stop zone and the obstacle-free zone must be determined based on the take-off performance of the aircraft.

History

The different air traffic control services emerged at the same time that commercial aviation was born , this happened in the first decade of the 20th century . Once the aerodromes were put into operation, it became a necessity for someone to start informing the pilots of the runway conditions, wind direction and the existence of other planes or vehicles in the area by means of flags, beams of light or radio. The airfield of Croydon , located south London, was the first airport in the world that used an air traffic control service. In the early 1920s, it was known that commercial aviationit was going to be a total success and that, as soon as possible, the administration had to establish a series of norms to regulate the activity. This issue was of vital importance especially in the European continent , where the variety of borders and languages ​​would make it very difficult for all the people who piloted to follow and obey those rules. For this task, and under the protection of the Treaty of Versailles , the CINA or International Air Navigation Conference was born , which created, in 1919, the first General Air Traffic Rules . On April 7, 1922 it occurred over Francethe first air collision between two commercial flights. This made it necessary to define the first air routes in the English Channel , the need to carry radio equipment on board and the exchange of meteorological information between aerodromes .

Difference between airfield and airport

To understand the definition of an airfield, it is very important to differentiate between the term and the word airport. This is because the words are often confused as if the two had the same meaning, but in reality, they are not. The airport itself is an aerodrome that has a series of permanently located facilities dedicated solely to commercial air transport . Aerodromes are land on which different runways have been built for the take-off and landing of airplanes, without engaging in trade. However, the main difference between the two terms lies in the different standards established by international aviation organizations and the respective aeronautical codes of each country. Therefore, an aerodrome is understood as a defined area of ​​land or water intended for the total or partial departure, arrival and movement of aircraft. On the contrary, an airport is a facility that has permanent facilities for international commercial air transport , that is, it has customs , immigration and health control services .

Examples of aerodromes

• The Copán airfield in Honduras
• Aerodromo di partenza in Italy
• Teruel Province Aerodrome, Spain
• Los Oteros Aerodrome – Rogelio Fernández