Indiana Administrative Code › Title 105 - INDIANA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION › Article 3 - AIRPORTS › Rule 3 - Airport Site Approvals and Operating Certificates of Approval › Section 3-11 - Annual operating certificates of approval

Current through July 10, 2024
Authority: IC 8-23-2-6
Affected: IC 8-21-1
Sec. 11.
(a) It shall
				be unlawful for a municipality or person to initiate operations at a public-use
				airport without first being issued an operating certificate of approval by the
				department; however, the department will issue a certificate to an airport
				which already holds a valid Air Carrier Operating Certificate issued under
				Federal Aviation Regulations, 14 CFR 139.
(b) It shall be unlawful for a municipality
				or person to continue to operate a public-use airport for which an annual
				operating certificate of approval has not been issued by the department, except
				as otherwise provided in this section.
(c) All public-use airports must be inspected
				at least once a year by the department and must conform to the minimum safety
				standards established in this subsection prior to receiving an operating
				certificate of approval unless the airport already holds a valid Air Carrier
				Operating Certificate issued under 14 CFR 139. Compliance with these minimum
				safety standards is required at all times in order to maintain a valid
				operating certificate of approval. These standards do not apply to public-use
				heliports, seaplane bases, or ultralight flightparks. Minimum safety standards
				shall be as follows:
(1) Physical standards as follows:
*Minimum usable runway length
2,000 feet
Minimum width for:
**Runway safety area
150 feet
Paved runway
40 feet
Turf runway
100 feet
Minimum distance between runway centerline and:
Building restriction line
150 feet
Edge of tie-down area
125 feet
Taxiway centerline
100 feet
Approach and departure surface width at:
***Threshold of runway
150 feet
4,000 feet from threshold
350 feet
*If there is more than one (1) runway at the airport, only
				  one (1) runway must meet the two thousand (2,000) feet minimum usable length
				  requirement; however, all other runways must have at least one thousand five
				  hundred (1,500) feet minimum usable length.
**Although the minimum standard width for a runway safety
				  area is one hundred fifty (150) feet, low crops, such as soybeans, alfalfa, and
				  wheat, may be grown within the runway safety area beginning no closer than
				  fifty (50) feet from the runway centerline. High crops, such as corn and
				  sorghum, must not be grown in the one hundred fifty (150) feet runway safety
				  area.
***All crops are considered a ten (10) foot obstruction
				  because of transient farm machinery used in farming the crops. Therefore, no
				  crops may be grown in the area crosshatched in the following
				  illustration:
Click
				  here to view Image
(2) A
				public-use airport which has two (2) or more intersecting runways where
				aircraft must operate out of the sight of each other must have warning signs
				posted at the departure end of each runway or at the taxiway entrance to the
				runway. The warning signs must be clearly visible and distinguishable from at
				least one hundred (100) feet away and shall include language which clearly
				indicates the inherent danger. The language recommended by the department is
				"Warning: Aircraft Using Runway 4/22 Cannot Be Seen.".
(3) Airport and runway markings as follows:
(A) All paved runways must be marked in
				accordance with a marking diagram provided by the department, which will
				include, at a minimum, runway numbers and centerline.
(B) Boundary markers for turf runways will be
				required if the usable landing area is not clearly defined as observed from an
				altitude of one thousand five hundred (1,500) feet above ground level. Markers
				must consist of orange traffic cones or such other material approved by the
				department.
(C) Turf runway
				thresholds must be marked with orange traffic cones or such other material
				approved by the department and must consist of three (3) cones placed
				perpendicular to the runway centerline on both sides of the runway, located no
				further than ten (10) feet from the longitudinal edges of the runway.
(D) Threshold markers for all runways,
				whether paved or turf, must be located such that they will provide, at a
				minimum, the following:
(i) Fifteen (15) feet
				vertical clearance over all public-use roads at a twenty (20) to one (1) glide
				angle taken from such thresholds.
(ii) Twenty-three (23) feet vertical
				clearance over all railroads at a twenty (20) to one (1) glide angle taken from
				such thresholds.
(iii) At a twenty
				(20) to one (1) glide angle commencing at such thresholds, clearance over all
				objects within the approach and departure surface symmetrical about the
				extended centerline of the runway for a distance of four thousand (4,000) feet
				from such thresholds. (See also subdivision (1).)
(4) Airport and runway lighting as
				follows:
(A) A public-use airport which is
				open for nighttime operations must have an operating lighting system which
				complies with this subdivision and a lighted wind indicator.
(B) The lighting system may be operated:
(i) on a photo cell;
(ii) by radio control; or
(iii) manually based on a prior request.
Operating information must be submitted for publication in
				  the airport facility directory.
(C) Runway lights must meet or exceed the
				following minimum standards:
(i) Have clear
				lenses.
(ii) Be located no more
				than ten (10) feet off of the edge of a paved runway.
(iii) Be located on the edge of a turf
				runway.
(iv) Be uniformly placed
				and not exceed two hundred (200) feet between lights except where a taxiway
				intersects the runway.
(v) Not
				exceed thirty (30) inches above ground level in height.
(D) Taxiway lights must meet or exceed the
				following minimum standards:
(i) Be blue in
				color.
(ii) Be located no more than
				ten (10) feet off of the edge of a paved taxiway.
(iii) Be located on the edge of a turf
				taxiway.
(iv) Be uniformly placed
				and not exceed two hundred (200) feet between lights except where the taxiway
				intersects another taxiway.
(v) Not
				exceed thirty (30) inches above ground level in height.
(E) Threshold lights must meet or exceed the
				following minimum standards:
(i) Be green in
				color.
(ii) Be located to provide
				minimum obstruction clearance.
(iii) Consist of a minimum of three (3)
				lights on each side of the runway perpendicular to the runway
				centerline.
(F) Lights
				between the end of a runway and relocated or displaced runway threshold must
				meet or exceed the following minimum standards:
(i) Be red in color.
(ii) Be located no more than ten (10) feet
				off of the edge of a paved runway.
(iii) Be located on the edge of a turf
				runway.
(iv) Not exceed thirty (30)
				inches above ground level in height. The minimum standards in clauses (C)
				through (F) shall not apply to an airport which has an operational lighting
				system that was funded in whole or in part by federal or state funds.
(5) In addition to
				complying with the minimum safety standards in subdivision (4), all public-use
				airport owners and operators shall continuously maintain aircraft operational
				areas on the airport. All aircraft operational areas on the airport should be
				inspected at least once a day. In addition, it is the responsibility of the
				airport owner or operator to identify, assess, and disseminate information by
				notices to airmen through the appropriate Federal Aviation Administration
				Flight Service Station concerning conditions on or in the vicinity of the
				airport that affect, or may affect, the safe operation of aircraft.
(6) All public-use airports must have and
				maintain the following:
(A) At least one (1)
				wind direction indicator, so located to show a true indication of the wind on
				the landing area and readily visible to aircraft. A wind indicator must be
				lighted if the airport is open for night operations.
(B) A telephone available continuously for
				emergency use and flight plan closing.
(C) An approved segmented circle with runway
				turn indicators when a nonstandard traffic pattern is used.
(D) A suitable area for parking automobiles,
				adequately marked off or fenced to prevent dangerous overrunning on to the
				landing area and aircraft parking area.
(E) A copy of current airport safety rules
				and regulations posted conspicuously at the airport and filed with the
				department. The airport rules and regulations should address the following:
(i) Air traffic patterns.
(ii) Taxi instructions.
(iii) Calm wind runway usage.
(iv) Any emergency readiness programs.