Aerodrome
Encyclopedia
An aerodrome, airdrome or airfield is a term for any location from which aircraft
flight
operations take place, regardless of whether they involve cargo
, passengers or neither. A water aerodrome is an area of open water used regularly by seaplane
s or amphibious aircraft
for landing and taking off.
with "Hippodrome
" (Greek, from hippos (ἵππος), horse, and dromos (δρόμος), race or course), which was a course for horse racing and chariot racing in ancient times. The word "aerodrome" is derived from the Greek
words aeros (αέρος), "air" and dromos (δρόμος), "road" or "course", literally meaning "air course."
The Langley Aerodrome
was a pioneering but unsuccessful manned powered flying machine designed at the close of the 19th century by Samuel Langley. Langley coined the word "Aerodrome" and applied it to a series of engine-driven unmanned and manned tandem wing
aircraft that were built under his supervision in the 1890s and early 1900s. The term is derived from Greek words meaning "air runner", and was also used by Alexander Graham Bell
to refer to various heavier-than-air flying machines, including those built by the Aerial Experiment Association
.
In science fiction
stories written in the 1930s and early 1940s the term "spacedrome" was used in fictional depictions of a space travelling future but the word has dropped out of use. The term "cosmodrome" was first used in the former Soviet Union
and refers to a spaceport
. Today the spaceport of Baikonur
is still referred to as the Baikonur Cosmodrome
.
(ICAO) documents, for example in the Annex to the ICAO Convention about aerodromes, their physical characteristics and their operation. The term "airport" is also used in the aviation industry. There is not a clear difference in meaning between the two terms in colloquial usage; however, the term airport may imply a certain stature (having satisfied certain certification criteria or regulatory requirements) that an aerodrome proper may not have achieved. That is to say, all airports are aerodromes, but not all aerodromes are airports. (See note on Canada below.) Historically, however, just the reverse was true. In the early days of aviation, when there were no paved runways and all landing fields were grass, a typical airfield might permit take offs and landings in only a couple directions, much like today's airports, whereas an aerodrome was distinguished, by virtue of its much greater size, by its ability to handle landings and take offs in any direction. The ability to always take off and land directly into the wind, regardless of the wind's direction, was an important advantage in the earliest days of aviation when an airplane's performance in a cross wind take off or landing might be poor or even dangerous. The development of differential braking in aircraft, coupled with improved aircraft performance, the utilization of paved runways, and the fact that a circular aerodrome required much more space than did the "L" or triangle shaped airfield, eventually rendered the early aerodromes obsolete.
and Australia
usage it is a legal term of art
for any area of land or water
used for aircraft operation, regardless of facilities.
The Canadian act says "...for the most part, all of Canada can be an aerodrome", however there are also "registered aerodromes" and "certified airports". To become a registered aerodrome the operator must maintain certain standards and keep the Minister of Transport (Canada)
informed of any changes. To be certified as an airport the aerodrome, which usually supports commercial operations, must meet safety standards.
Nav Canada
, the private company responsible for air traffic control services in Canada, publishes the Canadian Flight Supplement (CFS), a directory of all registered Canadian land aerodromes, as well as the Water Aerodrome Supplement (WAS).
in the two World Wars as it had the advantage that their French allies, on whose soil
they were based and with whom they co-operated, used the equivalent term (aérodrome). However, the term "airfield" or "airport
" has mostly superseded use of 'aerodrome'. In 2011, Collins English Dictionary
decided to remove the word from smaller dictionaries after concluding it had become obsolete.
, the word was modified into airdrome but has become obsolete since World War II
, though it is still used to describe airplane museums with actively flown vintage aircraft such as Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome
, located in Rhinebeck, New York.
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
flight
Flight
Flight is the process by which an object moves either through an atmosphere or beyond it by generating lift or propulsive thrust, or aerostatically using buoyancy, or by simple ballistic movement....
operations take place, regardless of whether they involve cargo
Cargo
Cargo is goods or produce transported, generally for commercial gain, by ship, aircraft, train, van or truck. In modern times, containers are used in most intermodal long-haul cargo transport.-Marine:...
, passengers or neither. A water aerodrome is an area of open water used regularly by seaplane
Seaplane
A seaplane is a fixed-wing aircraft capable of taking off and landing on water. Seaplanes that can also take off and land on airfields are a subclass called amphibian aircraft...
s or amphibious aircraft
Amphibious aircraft
An amphibious aircraft or amphibian is an aircraft that can take off and land on either land or water. Fixed-wing amphibious aircraft are seaplanes that are equipped with retractable wheels, at the expense of extra weight and complexity, plus diminished range and fuel economy compared to planes...
for landing and taking off.
Etymology
The word Aerodrome was created by analogyAnalogy
Analogy is a cognitive process of transferring information or meaning from a particular subject to another particular subject , and a linguistic expression corresponding to such a process...
with "Hippodrome
Hippodrome
A hippodrome was a Greek stadium for horse racing and chariot racing. The name is derived from the Greek words "hippos and "dromos"...
" (Greek, from hippos (ἵππος), horse, and dromos (δρόμος), race or course), which was a course for horse racing and chariot racing in ancient times. The word "aerodrome" is derived from the Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
words aeros (αέρος), "air" and dromos (δρόμος), "road" or "course", literally meaning "air course."
The Langley Aerodrome
Langley Aerodrome
The Langley Aerodrome was a pioneering but unsuccessful manned, powered flying machine designed at the close of the 19th century by Smithsonian Institution Secretary Samuel Langley. The U.S...
was a pioneering but unsuccessful manned powered flying machine designed at the close of the 19th century by Samuel Langley. Langley coined the word "Aerodrome" and applied it to a series of engine-driven unmanned and manned tandem wing
Tandem wing
thumb|right|QAC Quickie Q2A tandem wing aircraft usually involves two full-sized wings, both of which are full airfoils. Sometimes an aircraft of this configuration can look like a variation on the biplane, but is in fact very different. The forward wing is often technically a canard, fitted with...
aircraft that were built under his supervision in the 1890s and early 1900s. The term is derived from Greek words meaning "air runner", and was also used by Alexander Graham Bell
Alexander Graham Bell
Alexander Graham Bell was an eminent scientist, inventor, engineer and innovator who is credited with inventing the first practical telephone....
to refer to various heavier-than-air flying machines, including those built by the Aerial Experiment Association
Aerial Experiment Association
The Aerial Experiment Association was a Canadian aeronautical research group formed on 30 September 1907, under the tutelage of Dr. Alexander Graham Bell...
.
In science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
stories written in the 1930s and early 1940s the term "spacedrome" was used in fictional depictions of a space travelling future but the word has dropped out of use. The term "cosmodrome" was first used in the former Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
and refers to a spaceport
Spaceport
A spaceport or cosmodrome is a site for launching spacecraft, by analogy with seaport for ships or airport for aircraft. The word spaceport, and even more so cosmodrome, has traditionally been used for sites capable of launching spacecraft into orbit around Earth or on interplanetary trajectories...
. Today the spaceport of Baikonur
Baikonur
Baikonur , formerly known as Leninsk, is a city in Kyzylorda Province of Kazakhstan, rented and administered by the Russian Federation. It was constructed to service the Baikonur Cosmodrome and was officially renamed Baikonur by Russian president Boris Yeltsin on December 20, 1995.The shape of the...
is still referred to as the Baikonur Cosmodrome
Baikonur Cosmodrome
The Baikonur Cosmodrome , also called Tyuratam, is the world's first and largest operational space launch facility. It is located in the desert steppe of Kazakhstan, about east of the Aral Sea, north of the Syr Darya river, near Tyuratam railway station, at 90 meters above sea level...
.
General usage
The term is used in International Civil Aviation OrganizationInternational Civil Aviation Organization
The International Civil Aviation Organization , pronounced , , is a specialized agency of the United Nations. It codifies the principles and techniques of international air navigation and fosters the planning and development of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth...
(ICAO) documents, for example in the Annex to the ICAO Convention about aerodromes, their physical characteristics and their operation. The term "airport" is also used in the aviation industry. There is not a clear difference in meaning between the two terms in colloquial usage; however, the term airport may imply a certain stature (having satisfied certain certification criteria or regulatory requirements) that an aerodrome proper may not have achieved. That is to say, all airports are aerodromes, but not all aerodromes are airports. (See note on Canada below.) Historically, however, just the reverse was true. In the early days of aviation, when there were no paved runways and all landing fields were grass, a typical airfield might permit take offs and landings in only a couple directions, much like today's airports, whereas an aerodrome was distinguished, by virtue of its much greater size, by its ability to handle landings and take offs in any direction. The ability to always take off and land directly into the wind, regardless of the wind's direction, was an important advantage in the earliest days of aviation when an airplane's performance in a cross wind take off or landing might be poor or even dangerous. The development of differential braking in aircraft, coupled with improved aircraft performance, the utilization of paved runways, and the fact that a circular aerodrome required much more space than did the "L" or triangle shaped airfield, eventually rendered the early aerodromes obsolete.
Australia and Canada
In CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
usage it is a legal term of art
Technical terminology
Technical terminology is the specialized vocabulary of any field, not just technical fields. The same is true of the synonyms technical terms, terms of art, shop talk and words of art, which do not necessarily refer to technology or art...
for any area of land or water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
used for aircraft operation, regardless of facilities.
The Canadian act says "...for the most part, all of Canada can be an aerodrome", however there are also "registered aerodromes" and "certified airports". To become a registered aerodrome the operator must maintain certain standards and keep the Minister of Transport (Canada)
Minister of Transport (Canada)
The Minister of Transport is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for overseeing the federal government's transportation regulatory and development department, Transport Canada...
informed of any changes. To be certified as an airport the aerodrome, which usually supports commercial operations, must meet safety standards.
Nav Canada
NAV CANADA
Nav Canada is a privately run, not-for-profit corporation that owns and operates Canada's civil air navigation system .The company employs approximately 2,000 air traffic controllers , 800 flight service specialists and 700 technologists...
, the private company responsible for air traffic control services in Canada, publishes the Canadian Flight Supplement (CFS), a directory of all registered Canadian land aerodromes, as well as the Water Aerodrome Supplement (WAS).
United Kingdom
In the UK, the term was used by the Royal Air ForceRoyal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
in the two World Wars as it had the advantage that their French allies, on whose soil
Soil
Soil is a natural body consisting of layers of mineral constituents of variable thicknesses, which differ from the parent materials in their morphological, physical, chemical, and mineralogical characteristics...
they were based and with whom they co-operated, used the equivalent term (aérodrome). However, the term "airfield" or "airport
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
" has mostly superseded use of 'aerodrome'. In 2011, Collins English Dictionary
Collins English Dictionary
The Collins English Dictionary is an important printed dictionary of English. It is published by HarperCollins.The first edition of the Collins English Dictionary with Patrick Hanks as editor and Lawrence Urdang as editorial director, was a milestone in British dictionary making as it was the...
decided to remove the word from smaller dictionaries after concluding it had become obsolete.
United States
In the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the word was modified into airdrome but has become obsolete since World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, though it is still used to describe airplane museums with actively flown vintage aircraft such as Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome
Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome
The Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome is a museum of World War I aircraft and antique automobiles that is located in Red Hook, New York, USA.-History:The aerodrome was the creation of Cole Palen, who was partially inspired by the Shuttleworth Collection in England. He regularly flew many of the aircraft...
, located in Rhinebeck, New York.
See also
- AirbaseAirbaseAn airbase is a military airfield that provides basing and support of military aircraft....
- AirportAirportAn airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
- International airportInternational airportAn international airport is any airport that can accommodate flights from other countries and are typically equipped with customs and immigration facilities to handle these flights to and from other countries...
- Regional airport
- Domestic airportDomestic airportA domestic airport is an airport which handles only domestic flights or flights within the same country. Domestic airports don't have customs and immigration facilities and are therefore incapable of handling flights to or from a foreign airport....
- International airport
- List of aviation topics