The technological evolution seen in aviation is evident in every aspect of the industry. Aircraft frameworks that were built of wood transitioned to steel tubing, then to the revolutionary aluminum monocoque structures so many of us learned to fly in. Today, composite materials are increasingly common.
The instrument panels that sat in front of Charles Lindbergh and his peers are ancient relics compared to the colorful, brightly lit digital displays mounted in even the most modest aircraft today. Beyond the digital, panel mount equipment that is lighter, more reliable, and provides so much more information than its analog ancestors could, we have handheld devices that would have put Wrong Way Corrigan on a westerly heading much more readily than his whiskey compass could (wink, wink).
Scimitar props, Q-tip props, composite multi-blade replacements, engine upgrades, tuned exhaust, winglets…the list of enhancements and improvements is nearly endless.
Yet, that list of improvements doesn’t end with the aircraft and its accessories. Those improvements extend to the airports themselves. Thankfully. Because things can get a little confusing out there on the pavements and pathways of an airport.
What started out as nothing more than a wide-open field, where pilots took off into the wind without regard for compass heading, has transformed over the last century into a complex maze of taxiways, runways, non-movement areas, infields, perimeter roads, and an assortment of structures so diverse it would make a real estate appraiser’s head spin.
Recently the FAA has taken a whack at clarifying one of the less well understood, but potentially more important items under its domain: Hot spots.
In my granddad’s day, an airport hot spot was a bar or a diner close to the field where pilots, mechanics, line service personnel, and aviation enthusiasts could gather for a cold one at the end of the day. Today, that designation refers to a point on the airport grounds where it is possible, if not likely, that confusion may result in an airplane, truck, car, or other motorized vehicle straying onto a chunk of pavement other than the one the pilot or driver intended — potentially with tragic results.
Yep, we’re talking about runway incursions. And taxiway incursions. And all the various incursions that can and do happen on airport grounds each week.
For a few decades now the FAA has been putting real effort into curbing those incidents that can rapidly and unexpectedly turn into accidents.
Its latest attempt at clarity involves the standardization of symbols and terms used on airport diagrams. It’s a valiant effort that I appreciate.
But in typical FAA fashion, the improvement comes with a caveat. The terminology agency officials have chosen to use is…well, let’s just say it’s less than crystal clear.
Some time ago the questionable term “non-movement area” was introduced to the vernacular. This is an area on the field that I would have previously referred to as “the ramp.”
And you would be forgiven if you began to scratch your head in wonder at this point. Everything on the ramp moves. Everything. The airplanes, the fuel trucks, the baggage vehicles, the golf carts. All of it. Which causes me to wonder why the area where everything moves is officially designated as the “non-movement area.”
Logic is not always the guiding factor when determining the correct term to use for a given thing, place, or individual.
That tendency toward questionable terminology brings us to the most recent issuance of terms from the feds. It relates directly to the important topic of Hot Spots, and it involves the newly coined hot spot terms known as “wrong surface” and “wrong surface events.”
Now, I have to be honest with you on this. When I first came across the term “wrong surface event” and saw the new “wrong surface” symbols on a chart, I was a bit confused. To me and my little pea brain, “wrong surface” suggests I just taxied off the runway into a drainage ditch, or at least onto very soft, wet grass where the aircraft might get stuck. I supposed it might have been suggesting I take care not to wander into an area of loose gravel where I might damage my prop. But that’s not what the term means to the FAA.
“Wrong surface” relates to lining up on Runway 18L when we’ve been cleared to take off from Runway 18R. Or in broader terms, straying onto Runway 36 when you’re supposed to be holding short at Taxiway A3.
In plain terms this new terminology means two things:
- You are not where you’re supposed to be
- You’re in a place you’re specifically not supposed to be.
Both those things are bad. One is worse than the other, though.
This is no small thing. While I may quibble with the terminology, the lessons imparted by the new symbols and terms are important for us to learn and adapt to. Our very lives might depend on it.
For that I give FAA officials credit. They’re trying.
Yes, they tend to be a little stiff, somewhat rigid, frequently fall short of being touchy-feely, and occasionally downright cold. But they’re trying.
Personally, if I’d been in one of what I can only assume were dozens of meetings with highly qualified federal employees who have earned advanced college degrees and proudly boast a series of letters after their name signifying their great importance, I might have suggested these “wrong surface” areas be called “caution areas” or “vigilance zones” or some similarly understandable term.
I’m not sure “wrong surface” is a significant clarification beyond doo-hickey, thing-a-ma-bob, or whatzits. But in the interest of team spirit and general friendliness, I’ll go along with it, and I’ll applaud the FAA for issuing documentation in an attempt to make aviation safer on the ground and in the air.
One more curious wording caught my eye, by the way. Some years ago the FAA stopped using the term Airport/Facility Directory (A/FD), replacing it with an identical document known as the Chart supplement. Yet, as I researched this piece, I noticed that in its most recent announcement on the standardization of wrong surface symbology, officials use the old term, A/FD, to link to a series of documents known officially as the Chart Supplements.
I’m confused. But then, that might be the point. I’m not really sure anymore.
A cylinder is a three-dimentional structure. That aint a cylinder on the map. Did the symbol designers skip/flunk basic geometry in grade school?
Thank you for your thoughts on the sometimes mysterious FAA terminology. I have always been particularly amused (or is it bemused?) by the “movement”/“non-movement” pair. For what it’s worth, I keep these two straight by mentally inserting the silent word “controlled” immediately before the word “movement.” This produces “controlled movement area” and “non-controlled movement are” which, at least to me, makes more sense. Of course, the FAA could go one better by just calling them “controlled area” and “non-controlled area.” Still perhaps not perfect, but definitely more understandable than the current terminology.
Wow., Jamie…..valiant effort to explain the unfathomable. The link in the story to Hot Spots goes to an FAA site, with a good video that explains the changes. As stated on that site, “Beginning May 19, 2022, the FAA will standardize these symbols to three shapes with two distinct meanings: a circle or ellipse for ground movement hot spots and a cylinder for wrong surface hot spots.” Cylinder…what the heck is that…oh, it’s the elliptical, race track shaped outline. Well that’s clear.
As for “Non-movement area,” that oxymoron refers to any surface designed for an aircraft to taxi on or park on that is not controlled by ATC. Could be a ramp (apron, in NOTAM-speak) or in rare cases a taxiway. Note, there can by an airline company ramp control in operation on a ramp, but that is specific to an airline, and the ramp is still a non-movement area.
The reason an airport has non-movement areas is usually because the Air Traffic controllers can’t see the surface clearly enough to exercise control, or, in the case of a congested airline ramp, the ATC facility leaves it up to the airline to control their own aircraft. Other non-movement areas, for example, could be located on the military ramp at a joint-use field.
At many airports, the airport diagram will show non-movement areas depicted as hashed lines. Look at my airport, TYS, for an example. And in many cases there is a standard pavement marking (solid yellow line with a parallel dashed yellow line) to show the boundary of the non-movement area. The solid yellow line faces the non-movement pavement, and, like a runway hold line, you need clearance from ATC to cross that line and enter the movement area.