Market-driven Derivation of Field Performance Requirements for Conceptual Aircraft Design

Abstract

An approach to derive a take-off field length for the initial specification of a new aircraft design is introduced in this paper. Based on a passenger demand forecast the runway lengths of the origin and destination airports are analyzed. The physical lengths of the runways are corrected by airports’ elevation and reference temperatures. The approach to derive airport reference temperatures on air transport system level is described in more detail. For an exemplary range of flight distances and the corresponding market, runway lengths are determined and corrected. Consequently the percentage of passenger demand can be described as a function of runway lengths. The example illustrates that airports’ elevation and reference temperature significantly affect the percentage of passenger demand that can be accommodated by an aircraft design for a given take-off field length.