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There are three types of airports: government airports, operated mostly for the military; public and
private airports, primarily to serve general aviation; and commercial airports, including those for
domestic and foreign airline operations. Federal regulation govern their operations and set safety
standards.
Government airports serve the U.S. Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps, as well as NASA and
various installations for research and development.
General aviation activities -including private flying for recreation, instruction and business- account
for 80 percent of the air-hours flown. General aviation airports are often privately owned and are
available for general use, subject to the Federal Aviation Administration rules and regulations. They
are usually located near small cities and towns that are not along the routes of commercial airlines.
Commercial airports are usually publicly owned, and operated by municipal, county, or other
government agencies.
Modern airports consist of runways and taxiing areas; hangars and machine shops for plane
maintenance, repair and fueling; and traffic control towers, whose personnel track aircraft and
guide them through landings and takeoffs. The most important facility at all airports is the traffic
control tower. Located approximately in the center of the runway complex, it is high enough to allow
a clear view of landing, takeoff, and loading areas. It contains a complex of communications and
electronic surveillance equipment by means of which the airport controllers monitor and direct all
plane movements.
All commercial airlines, the military, and most general aviation flights operate according to flight
plans. Flights follow predetermined routes, and reports on their progress are made from
checkpoints along the airways. Control towers are advised of the estimated time of arrival for all
aircraft in their approach areas. The pilots are then given detailed landing instructions: approach
routes to be followed, rate of descent, proximity of other aircraft, weather conditions, and
designated landing runways.
In recent years concerns about air safety have grown, along with statistics indicating a pattern of
overcrowding and delays on the ground and in the air at major airports, a rising number of
collisions, and a lowering of aircraft maintenance standards.
In May 1986 the National Transportation Safety Board recommended that the Federal Aviation
Administration reduce the number of flights at the busiest airports peak hours.
In the last decade, new computer capabilities, new automated control systems, and new plane-
borne reducing significantly the problems of airport overcrowding and flight delays.
Aeropuertos