5.6 Airport Operations and Traffic Patterns

5.6 Airport Operations and Traffic Patterns

Understanding how airports operate and how manned aircraft fly traffic patterns is essential for drone safety. Many Part 107 operations occur near airports, and the exam tests your knowledge of airport operations.

Airport Traffic Pattern

Manned aircraft fly a rectangular traffic pattern around the runway:

Standard Traffic Pattern (Left Turns):

1. Upwind leg — Parallel to the runway, in the direction of takeoff
2. Crosswind leg — A 90° turn after departure, perpendicular to the runway
3. Downwind leg — Parallel to the runway, opposite direction of landing (usually at 800-1,000 ft AGL)
4. Base leg — A 90° turn from downwind, perpendicular to the runway, descending
5. Final approach — Aligned with the runway, descending to land

Standard pattern altitude: Typically 1,000 feet AGL for propeller aircraft and 1,500 feet AGL for jets.

Key for Drone Pilots: Aircraft on the downwind leg fly at approximately 800-1,000 ft AGL about 1/2 to 1 mile from the runway. This is well above the Part 107 400-ft limit, but understanding the pattern helps predict where aircraft will be.

Runway Numbers and Wind

• Runway numbers indicate the magnetic heading of the runway, rounded to the nearest 10 degrees and divided by 10
• Runway 27 = heading of approximately 270° (west)
• Runway 09 = heading of approximately 090° (east)
• Opposite ends of the same runway have numbers that differ by 18 (e.g., Runway 09/27)
• Aircraft take off and land into the wind for shorter ground roll

Airport Signs, Markings, and Lights

Runway Markings:

• Centerline — white dashed line down the middle of the runway
• Threshold — white stripes at the beginning of the landing area
• Displaced threshold — arrows pointing to the actual landing threshold (area before is not for landing)
• Blast pad/stopway — yellow chevrons (not for taxiing, takeoff, or landing)

Airport Beacon:

• White/Green — Civilian land airport
• White/White — Military airport
• White/Yellow — Water airport (seaplane base)
• Green/Yellow/White — Heliport
• Beacon operating during daytime indicates the airport is in IFR conditions (ceiling below 1,000 ft or visibility below 3 SM)

Wind Direction Indicators

Segmented Circle

A segmented circle at non-towered airports provides visual information:

• Located near the center of the airport
• Contains:
  • Wind indicator (wind sock, tee, or tetrahedron)
  • Landing direction indicator — shows which way to land
  • Traffic pattern indicators — L-shaped markers showing pattern direction for each runway
  • Right traffic indicator — if the L-markers are on the right side of the runway, the pattern uses right turns

Heliports and Helipads

Important for drone pilots because helicopters operate at lower altitudes in less predictable patterns:

• Marked with a large "H" on the landing area
• Found at hospitals, office buildings, and dedicated heliport facilities
• Helicopter approach/departure paths may not follow standard fixed-wing patterns
• Extra caution required when operating drones near heliports — monitor helicopter traffic

For the Exam: Know the standard traffic pattern legs, how runway numbers relate to magnetic heading, and what airport lighting/beacon colors indicate. Also understand that helicopters near heliports present unique hazards for drone operations.