The Airport Diagram

Tuesday, March 21, 2023 at 10:13 AM ET

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Key Takeaways:

Airport diagrams are essential pre-flight tools, detailing critical operational aspects like LAHSO procedures, EMAS locations, FBOs, and "hot spots" for safe navigation.
Understanding the differences between Field Elevation, Touch Down Zone Elevation (TDZE), and Airport Reference Point (ARP) is crucial for accurate altimeter settings, precise decision height calculations, and correct GPS navigation.
Approach charts require careful study due to significant variations in decision heights, visibility minimums, and night operational restrictions between different approach types (e.g., ILS vs. GPS) and chart revisions.
Using Reading Regional Airport (KRDG) as an example, the article underscores how detailed pre-flight planning is vital to identify unique operational challenges such as part-time ATC and specific runway limitations.

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For “land” aircraft, all flights start and end at an airport or airstrip, and an important aspect in planning an IFR flight to an unfamiliar airport is to study not only the approach and departure charts, but also the airport diagram to fully understand the big picture. Typically, we think of airport diagrams as useful and important tools like “taxi diagrams,” but they are much more than that. In this Chart Clinic, we will start by dissecting the Airport Diagram for Reading Regional Airport / Carl A Spaatz Field (KRDG) before considering two of its approach charts.

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