
What does AOA stand for in airport security?
§ 1542.203 Security of the air operations area (AOA). (a) Each airport operator required to have a security program under § 1542.103 (a) must establish an AOA, unless the entire area is designated as a secured area.
What are the benefits of an AOA system?
Installation of an AoA system may aid in preventing loss of control accidents. Manufacturers have requested a streamlined method of design and production approval for nonrequired/supplemental systems.
Why do I need an AOA indicator?
This part is important, because when you increase your angle-of-attack, you get closer to the critical angle-of-attack, which is the point when your wing stalls (regardless of airspeed or attitude). Without an AOA indicator, the AOA is "invisible" to pilots. In certain configurations and attitudes, you might not realize you're approaching a stall.
What is the angle of attack (AOA)?
The angle of attack (AOA) is the angle formed between the wing and the relative wind. At first glance, it might seem to be the same as how high the airplane is pitched up, which airline pilots refer to as the “deck angle.”

What areas make up the AOA?
Airport Operations Area (AOA) – The AOA consists of all restricted ground areas of the airport, including taxiways, runways, loading ramps, and parking areas. In other words, everything that is inside the perimeter fence. The AOA is divided into two distinct areas: the 'Movement' area and the 'Non-movement' area.
Are safety areas a part of the AOA?
Air Operations Area (AOA) means any area of the Airport that is used or specified to be used for the movement of Aircraft including movement areas, Aprons, loading ramps, safety areas, and General Aviation areas that are not separated by adequate security systems, measures, or procedures.
What does the non-movement area include?
The Non-Movement Area is the portion of the airfield in which vehicles and aircraft intermix. These areas include roadways, aircraft parking ramps or aprons, taxilanes between concourses / cargo buildings / Maintenance hangars, and designated areas not controlled by the FAA.
What is the purpose of a runway threshold bar?
Runway Threshold Bar. A threshold bar delineates the beginning of the runway that is available for landing when the threshold has been relocated or displaced.
Why is it called non-movement area?
Non-movement Area (NMA)– areas of an airport that are used for taxiing or hover taxiing, or air taxiing aircraft including helicopters and tilt-rotors, but are not part of the movement area (i.e., the loading aprons and aircraft parking areas). This area is not under control of the airport traffic control tower.
What is a non-movement area at an airport?
Non-movement Areas–taxiways, aprons, and other areas not under the control of air traffic or at airports without an operating airport traffic control tower. Operator–any person who is in actual physical control of an aircraft or a motor vehicle.
Who controls the movement area?
The movement area is defined as all taxiways and runways and is under the jurisdiction of the control tower, so a taxi clearance is required prior to entering into the movement area.
What are the 3 types of runways?
A runway should be marked according to its usage. The three classifications of runways are Visual Runways, Nonprecision Instrument Runways, and Precision Instrument Runways. A Visual Runway does not have an existing or planned straight-in instrument approach procedure.
What does L and R mean on runways?
The ”L” and ”R” designate the relative position (left or right) of each runway respectively when approaching/facing its direction. A small number of airports have three parallel runways—the runway in the middle gets a “C” for center. During airport operations, runway number designations are pronounced individually.
What do the arrows at the end of the runway mean?
White arrows (or arrowheads), beginning at the approach end of the runway, along the centerline, indicate that there is a displaced threshold beyond which aircraft should land (Figure 5).
What is AOA in airplanes?
The angle of attack (AOA) is the angle formed between the wing and the relative wind. At first glance, it might seem to be the same as how high the airplane is pitched up, which airline pilots refer to as the “deck angle.”. But AOA is a little more complicated than that.
What is AOA in aviation?
Angle Of Attack (AOA) in Aviation. One of the most fundamental concepts in aerodynamics is the concept of angle of attack, also called AOA. Aerodynamics is a complex subject and there are many concepts that go into understanding precisely what the AOA is and why it is essential.
How does the angle of attack change with airspeed?
The two main ways a pilot controls the amount of lift a plane makes is by adding airspeed or by increasing the angle of attack. If the aircraft is flying straight and level, then the amount of lift must equal the amount of the airplane’s weight (plus all of its contents).
Why can't an airplane take off when stationary?
This is why an airplane can’t take off when stationary; it must build up speed on the runway. As the airflow over the wings increase, lift starts to be produced.
What is the AOA in aerodynamics?
One of the most fundamental concepts in aerodynamics is the concept of angle of attack, also called AOA. Aerodynamics is a complex subject and there are many concepts that go into understanding precisely what the AOA is and why it is essential.
How does the pilot control the angle of attack?
The pilot controls the angle of attack by pitching the airplane up or down. If the aircraft is pitched up, the angle of attack increases and the wing makes more lift. If the pilot pitches down, the angle of attack decreases and less lift is produced. Boeing AOA, Flight Path Angle and Pitch Angle.
How to maintain altitude?
To maintain altitude as the plane slows, the pilot must pitch up to increase the angle of attack. On the same note, if the pilot wants to operate at full throttle, the plane will climb as airspeed builds. To maintain their altitude, the pilot will have to pitch down and reduce the angle of attack.
Why is AOA important?
This is incredibly useful because speed alone is not a reliable parameter to avoid a stall. That's because airplanes can stall at any speed, as long as they exceed their critical angle-of-attack.
Can a mechanic install AOA?
Under these new policies, an appropriately rated mechanic can install an AOA indicator by a field approval or a minor alteration in the aircraft maintenance logs. Here's what the FAA has to say...

What's The Point?
The Critical AOA
- For a given configuration, an airplane will always stall at the same AOA, called the critical angle-of-attack. The critical AOA does NOT change with: 1. Weight 2. Bank Angle 3. Temperature 4. Density Altitude 5. Center of Gravity Let's say you're flying a steep turn. How do you turn and maintain altitude at the same time? You need to increase the total amount of lift your wing is producing. A…
How It Works
- We won't dive into the specific system components or measurements used to calculate AOA, because each variant system has its own parameters. In corporate, airline, and military flying, you'll often see "vane style" AOA indicators. They show direct indications of AOA, but must be mounted in a position with clean airflow. In general aviation, you'll commonly see "pressure-deriv…
The FAA Is concerned, and Made Installation Easy
- In 2014, the FAA released major changes to expand the installation of AOA indicators in general aviation aircraft. Under these new policies, an appropriately rated mechanic can install an AOA indicator by a field approval or a minor alteration in the aircraft maintenance logs. Here's what the FAA has to say...
Want Another Visual Representation?
- Check out this video made by Sam Sheperd. This video is a great resource for showing flight students visual representations of how AOA changes across various flight parameters. Fast forward to 1:50 in the video for takeoff...
Have You Used An AOA Indicator?
- Tell us about your experiences flying with an AOA indicator. What did you find useful? Was there anything you didn't like? Share in the comments below.