Guidebook for Managing Small Airports - Second Edition
Copyright National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
ACRP Research Report 16: Guidebook for Managing Small Airports, Second Edition, is
designed to help airport practitioners, owners, operators, managers, and policymakers of
small airports, who may have varying degrees of experience and backgrounds, to fulfill their
responsibilities in such areas as financial management, oversight of contracts and leases,
safety and security, noise impacts, community relations, compliance with federal and state
obligations, facility maintenance, and capital improvements. The first edition has been
edited and reformatted for currency, relevance, and usability and updated with additional
information and new subject areas (e.g., unmanned aircraft systems, geographic informa-
tion systems, digital Notices to Airmen, social media, and federal and state obligations).
Also hyperlinks to many of the documents and resources mentioned in this report, such as
ACRP publications, industry sources and sample checklists, have been collected into ACRP
WebResource 6: Resources for Managing Small Airports (crp.trb.org/acrp0132).
Since the publication of ACRP Report 16: Guidebook for Managing Small Airports (2009),
a significant amount of research that could be of direct benefit to small airports has been
completed, and the Federal Aviation Administration, state agencies, and trade and industry
groups have developed and initiated new policies and guidance. In addition, small airports
are facing new industry challenges not addressed in the first edition (e.g., unmanned aerial
systems). Therefore, an update was needed.
Under ACRP Project 01-32, research was conducted by Hanson Professional Services
Inc. in association with Marr/Arnold Planning, LLC, and David NewMyer of Southern
Illinois University. The research was conducted through industry outreach via a survey of
small airport managers identified through coordination with state agencies and various
roundtable discussions held at industry conferences. Additionally, an industry panel com-
prising several geographically diverse small airports served as a sounding board for the
research team at key points in the study process. A resource review examined written and
electronic documents that provide the regulations and existing guidance for best practices
on managing small airports. Based on this review and industry input, the guidebook is
organized into management areas and is intended to be used as a self-help guide, providing
the user with key insights, definitions, and background on many small airport management
topics as well as links to additional resources.
FOREWORD
By Theresia H. Schatz
Staff Officer
Transportation Research Board
