Overview of the Taxiway Centerline Deviation Study at Airplane Design Group III Airports

In 1999, a research team from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Airport Technology Research and Development (RD West Palm Beach International Airport (PBI), FL; Manchester-Boston Regional Airport (MHT), NH; and Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD), IL. Phase III was conducted between 2009 and 2013 and collected data from four civil ADG III airports: West Palm Beach International Airport (PBI), FL; Salisbury-Ocean City Wicomico Regional Airport (SBY), MD; Key West International Airport (EYW), FL; and Westchester County Airport (HPN), NY. Each airport met the criteria for this study, including 50-ft-wide straight taxiway sections built to ADG III standards and service to a strong mix of ADG III aircraft with wingspans of 79 to <118 ft, which are similar to an Airbus A320 and Boeing 737. This document summarizes Phase III, which includes an overview of the taxiway deviation data collection system, the data collection and analysis process, an overview of the data collection systems installed at each ADG III airport, and recommendations to complete future data collection system installations. The data will be analyzed under a cooperative research and development agreement between the FAA Airport Technology R&D Branch and The Boeing Company. The analysis will determine the associated centerline wander risk for each evaluated ADG in relation to their standard taxiway width. This information will allow comparison of taxiing risk among the six ADGs. The results of the analysis will be disseminated as a supplement to this report at a later date.