Importance Of Airfield Facilities At Washington National...

Airfield Facilities We have now taken a look at the process used to appoint the Board of Directors, and sources of income. After that is all said and done it is time to take a look at the beating heart of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport which includes the airfield, runways, taxiways, and aprons, and all other facilities involved in operating an airport. This particular airport sits on 860 acres of total land. Taking a closer look 733 acres are on solid ground while 127 acres reside under water. The airport has 44 gates, nine of which are located in Terminal A. The remaining 35 are in Terminal B/C. There are currently three runways on the airfield that form a distinct triangular pattern. President Roosevelt had a very specific†¦show more content†¦DCA was considered the â€Å"last word† in airports upon initial construction. It combined the latest and greatest aspects of technology, facility design, handling of planes, air traffic and field traffic control, l ighting, non-flight related facilities, and surface vehicle control available. Terminal A opened in 1941 along with the airport. The airport facility was originally 115,000 square feet. This changed in 1950 when the first major expansion was completed. They extended the south end of the main terminal by 297 feet, adding 25,110 square feet of total space. As the airport traffic started to grow, they saw a need to expand even further. The next addition is referred to as the â€Å"south finger† was added about five years later. The â€Å"south finger† increased the terminal by an additional 9,979 square feet and additionally provided aircraft gates and loading positions that were desperately needed. Growth in the annual number of passengers continued steadily eventually prompting the construction of the North Terminal. The North Terminal was opened in October of 1958 adding an additional 7,264 square feet. Moving forward they opened a 772 foot long enclosed passageway between the main and north terminals. Terminal B/C was the next major expansion Rea gan National went through. It opened on July 27, 1997 and was one million square feet spread over three levels. Terminal B/C integrated direct connections to the Metrorail