Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport

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The Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is a public airport located five kilometers south of downtown Washington, DC in Arlington County, Virginia, USA. He is the commercial airport that is closest to Washington. His original name was Washington National Airport, but was renamed in 1998 after former President Ronald Reagan. Colloquially, it is called "National", " Washington National ", " Reagan " or " Reagan National ". The principal mode of airport code is " DCA ".

The airport is a hub of the airline U.S. Airways, which is the airline with the largest presence at the airport at the same time. There is an air shuttle service airline to La Guardia airports in New York City and Logan International Airport in Boston. The airline Delta Air Lines offers a scheduled shuttle service to La Guardia. With few exceptions, there are only flights to destinations in more than 2012 km distance to curb aircraft noise and attract more traffic to the larger, but further away from the center Washington Dulles International Airport. In 2006, approximately 18.5 million passengers traveled through the airport. Since he has no branch of the customs and immigration authorities, international flights are allowed to land only on the condition that these formalities were carried out prior to departure. Possible departure airports are therefore restricted to eg airports Nassau in the Bahamas, Bermuda, Toronto, Ontario and Montreal, in the province of Quebec.

2.1 The River -visual landing approach

4.1 Terminal A ( Gates 1-9)
4.2 Terminals B and C 4.2.1 Terminal B ( Gates 10-22 - Pier 1)
4.2.2 Terminal B ( Gates 23-34 - Gate 2 )
4.2.3 Terminal C (gates 35-45 - Gate 3 )

History

The Washington National Airport was built on behalf of the U.S. government in the years 1940-1941 by John McShain on the sandy shore of the Potomac River at Gravelly Point, 7 km south of Washington DC.

Captain John Alexander built in 1746 at this point a mansion called " Abingdon ". His descendant, Philip Alexander, gave the Alexandria a large part of its base, which is why the place was named after him. The house Arbington was acquired in 1778 by John Parke Custis and was the birthplace of Eleanor " Nelly " Parke Custis, the step- granddaughter of President George Washington. It fell victim to a fire in 1930. In 1998, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority led to the spot where once the manor house had stood, excavations and there shows pieces found since then in the exhibition hall in Terminal A.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the air traffic in the metropolitan area of Washington DC was very restricted. Hoover Field, located near the present site of the Pentagon, was the first major terminal in the area and was opened in 1926. The only start and runway of the airport, however, was crossed by a road, so that guards had to stop the traffic during takeoffs and landings.

In the year of the opening of Hoover Field took with the Washington Airport, another, private airport very close to the operation. Both airports had to be merged in 1930 due to the Great Depression to the Washington -Hoover Airport. The location of the airport, however, was due to the adjacent road to the east US-1 and its accompanying pylons and a high chimney in the approach corridor and a nearby garbage dump very disadvantageous.

The National Airport took on 16 June 1941 its operation. Although he is now in Virginia, a majority of the area was once under the water level in the area of the District of Columbia. A law of 1945 stipulated that the airport is located on the territory of the State of Virginia, but is under the management of Congress.

Due to strong growth in air traffic, the runway during the years 1950 and 1955 has been extended. The alignment of the runways is limited by the location of the airport. Only the fourth, extending in an east-west direction runway was rebuilt after it was closed in 1956 to a taxiway and parking. In 1958, completed the North Terminal complemented the existing terminal building. Both terminals are connected to each other in 1961.

Despite the efforts of several enhancements have been taken to limit the growth of the airport. The advent of aircraft with jet engines, as well as the increase in traffic led to the Congress in 1950, the Washington Airport Act adopted, which led to the opening of Dulles Airport in 1962. From concerns about aircraft noise even 1966 noise mitigation measures have been taken before the introduction of jet engines in the year. To avoid congestion and to direct more traffic to alternative airports, limited the Federal Aviation Administration in 1969, the number of landings and flight led space limitations at Ronald Reagan National Airport and four other airports with a high traffic volume.

The airport is connected to the metro network of Washington DC. The airport's Metro station was put into operation in 1977. Originally the station was not directly connected to the terminals, but in the meantime connect pedestrian bridges him to the terminals B and C.

Crash of flight 90 of the Air Florida

On the afternoon of January 13, 1982 the engine of the Air Florida flight 90 crashed after they had been waiting 49 minutes in extremely cold and snowy weather on the taxiway and started with icy and snow-covered wings. The engine of the Boeing 737 made it after lifting not to rise, so they collided about a kilometer behind the end of the runway with the bridge of 14th Street. When flying over the rooftops of machine stuck on the bridge in traffic vehicles swerved off before they broke through in the about three inches thick ice on the Potomac. The use of the rescue crew was very hampered by the traffic and weather conditions. Only through the use of some motorists, a helicopter crew of the United States Park Service Police unit and the passenger of the machine, the bank employees Arland D. Williams Jr., who himself could not be saved and drowned with the sinking machine could five survivors of the crash are rescued. The remaining 74 occupants of the aircraft were also killed as four occupants of vehicles on the bridge.

The analysis of the accident shows how a controlled safely believed routine can become a trap when environmental conditions have changed or unexpected stimuli appear. The first officer leaving before the start of the checklist and asked, among many other items the status of the de-icing system from. The captain replied routine and truthfully with off. Neither he nor the first officer - both had brought in her career only a few starts in the winter outside the frost-free Florida's always behind - stumbled across this system state. Although after an abnormal course of the startup process has been displayed and the first officer expressed doubts on the success, the routine was not broken.

Renaming of the airport

The U.S. government announced in 1987 the control of the airports of Dulles and National to the newly established by a law of President Ronald Reagan Washington Metropolitan Airports Authority independent from. Despite this law, the U.S. Congress continues to be a mixed in the management of airports. On 6 February 1998 the name of the airport was renamed on the orders of President Bill Clinton from Washington National Airport Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, to honor the former President Reagan on his 87th birthday. This decision was made without consulting the residents.

The Department of Transportation Washington (Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority - WMTATA ) initially refused to rename the airport belonging Metro Station, as they referred to a 1987 Convention that a person who wants to rename a breakpoint, also responsible for the costs of the amended have come up signs. The district Arlington County, which would have been responsible for paying these costs, but refused. The Congress then threatened the transport authority with budget cuts. Then the Washington Metro changed the name finally at his own expense.

Extensions

Because of the expansion of air traffic and due to the limited space in the aging main terminal of the airport began in the 1990s with intense remodeling and expansion projects. The Hangar 11 at the north end of the airport in 1989 converted into an interim terminal for airlines USAir and Delta Air Lines. This was released a number of gates in the main terminal until the opening of the new terminal complex. This new, designed by Argentine architect Cesar Pelli complex consisting of Terminals B and C, and two parks, was opened on 27 July 1997. Immediately at the opening of the interim terminal was closed and converted back to a hangar. A gate of the main terminal, which had now become terminal A and the line was mainly American Airlines available, was demolished, while the other gates are used to this day as Gates 1-9.

Airport security

As the airport is very close to the buildings of many federal agencies, including the White House, the Capitol, the Washington Monument and the Pentagon is, the operation of the airport was defeated from the outset high security measures.

Before the attacks of September 11, 2001, the most striking security measure was the southern approach to the airport. The majority of the airspace over Washington is locked up to a height of 18,000 feet. Therefore, pilots approaching from the north must follow the course of the Potomac and make a steep turn shortly before landing on the runway southward. This landing is known as the River Visual and is considered one of the most challenging landing approaches worldwide. Start End aircraft in the north have very quickly gain the same reason altitude and fly a steep left turn to over the to avoid contact with the restricted airspace Washington Monument, the White House or the Pentagon.

After the attacks, the airport was closed for several weeks and was reopened with extremely stringent security measures. The following measures were taken:

Ban on aircraft with more than 156 seats ( was lifted in April 2002)
Prohibition of the River Visual approach to land ( was lifted in April 2002)
Passengers had to sit 30 minutes before landing and after take-off; but if someone should stand up, the aircraft was inevitably diverted to another airport with a military escort and taken the person in question into custody and interrogated by officials ( was lifted in July 2005)
Prohibition of general aviation ( was lifted in October 2005 in compliance with the rules given below again)

On 18 October 2005, the airport was reopened for limited general aviation. The restrictions existed, for example, the approval of a maximum of 48 aircraft movements a day. The passenger and crew data 24 hours must be submitted in advance to the Transportation Security Administration. In addition, a stopover of all the incoming planes on a total of twelve " gateway airports " required to perform a security check of the aircraft, passengers and luggage before flying to Washington and to take an armed security guards on board.

The River -visual landing approach

The River Visual landing approach is regarded as one of the most interesting landing routes in the United States. It was introduced for safety and noise reasons. This the Potomac following landing on runway 19 can only be done at a cloud height of at least 3 500 feet and a visibility of at least 4.8 km (3 miles). In support of the pilots who use this approach, is located on the Arlington Memorial Bridge, a position light. Incoming traffic can be observed from various parks on the western side of the Potomac. The passengers on the left side of the aircraft offers a view of the Capitol, the Washington Monument, the Jefferson Memorial, the National Mall and the White House, while passengers on the right side a view of the headquarters of the CIA, the National Cemetery Arlington, the Pentagon and the United States Air Force Memorial received.

Boundary of the catchment area

The airport is subject to a state-imposed limitation catchment area and offers a few exceptions not connect to airports outside a radius of 1,250 miles at. The U.S. Department of Transportation has issued for 24 aircraft movements every day exemptions that allow certain airlines to offer twelve daily trains to destinations outside the boundary. These exceptions are:

U.S. Airways ( 8 -3x Phoenix, 1x Las Vegas )
Alaska Airlines ( 6 -2x Seattle / Tacoma, 1x Los Angeles )
Frontier Airlines (6- 3x Denver)
Delta Air Lines (2- 1x Salt Lake City )
United Airlines (2- 1x Denver)

In 1999, proposed the then Senator of Arizona, John McCain, to repeal the limitation, which earned him the anger of local residents who feared a higher noise from the larger long-haul aircraft. His main argument was to improve the competitive situation, while critics of the proposal accused him of pursuing only the interests of US-based in Phoenix, Arizona Airline America West Airlines ( AWA). The proposal ultimately failed, but it was the FAA permitted to authorize further exceptions, of which not initially AWA, but their competitor Alaska Airlines benefited. The AWA was awarded in 2004 but also further exemptions for non-stop connections to Phoenix.

Terminals, airlines and destinations

U.S. Airways is an estimated 35 % of flights the largest line at the airport followed by American Airlines with about 14% (as of March 2006).

Terminal A ( Gates 1-9)

Terminal A was opened in 1941 and expanded in 1955. This terminal is currently (March 2007) renovated to restore the original architecture. One end of the work is not expected for several years.

Air Canada (Toronto) Air Canada Express operated by Jazz Air ( Montreal, Ottawa )

AirTran Airways operated by Southwest Airlines (Atlanta, Ft. Myers, Milwaukee, Orlando )

Terminals B and C

The terminals B and C were opened in 1997 and replaced a number of lineage-specific terminals from the 1960s. The terminals were designed by architect Cesar Pelli and include 35 gates. The gate 13 does not exist because of superstition.

Terminal B ( Gates 10-22 - Pier 1)

Alaska Airlines (Los Angeles, Seattle / Tacoma, Portland ( OR) )
Delta Air Lines (Atlanta, Memphis, Minneapolis / St. Paul, Salt Lake City ) Delta Connection operated by ExpressJet (Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Lexington, Minneapolis / St. Paul )
Delta Connection operated by Pinnacle Airlines ( Cincinnati, Detroit, Memphis, New York - JFK)
Delta Shuttle operated by Shuttle America (New York- LaGuardia)

United Express operated by Chautauqua Airlines ( Cleveland)
United Express operated by ExpressJet ( Cleveland, Newark)
United Express operated by Shuttle America (Chicago- O'Hare )

Terminal B ( Gates 23-34 - Gate 2 )

American Airlines (Chicago- O'Hare, Dallas / Fort Worth, Miami, St. Louis) American Eagle (Boston, Nashville, New York - JFK, New York -LaGuardia, Raleigh / Durham )

Terminal C (gates 35-45 - Gate 3 )

U.S. Airways (Albany, Bermuda [ from Winter 2007 ], Buffalo, Charlotte, Columbus, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Hartford, Indianapolis, Jacksonville ( FL), Manchester ( NH), Nassau, New Orleans, Orlando, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Providence, Sarasota / Bradenton ( seasonal), Syracuse, Tampa, West Palm Beach ) U.S. Airways operated by America West Airlines ( Las Vegas, Phoenix)
U.S. Airways Shuttle operated by U.S. Airways ( Boston, New York -LaGuardia)
U.S. Airways Express operated by Air Wisconsin (Albany, Buffalo, Burlington, Charleston (SC ), Charlotte, Dayton, Detroit, Greensboro, Greenville / Spartanburg, Hartford, Huntsville, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Knoxville, Manchester ( NH), Martha 's Vineyard ( seasonal), Myrtle Beach ( seasonal), Nantucket ( seasonal), Nashville, Norfolk, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Providence, Raleigh / Durham, Rochester (NY ), Savannah (seasonal), Syracuse, Toronto-Pearson, White Plains )
U.S. Airways Express operated by Chautauqua Airlines ( Columbia ( SC), Columbus ( OH), Greensboro, Indianapolis, Louisville, Myrtle Beach ( seasonal), Philadelphia, Portland ( ME) )
U.S. Airways Express operated by Colgan Air ( Charleston (WV) )
U.S. Airways Express operated by Piedmont Airlines ( Greensboro, Hilton Head ( seasonal), Norfolk, Philadelphia )
U.S. Airways Express operated by PSA Airlines ( Charleston (SC), Chattanooga, Columbia ( SC), Dayton, Huntsville, Knoxville, Louisville, Nashville, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Rochester (NY ) )
U.S. Airways Express operated by Republic Airlines (Albany, Atlanta, Burlington, Charleston (SC), Columbus ( OH), Dallas / Fort Worth, Detroit, Hartford, Huntsville, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Myrtle Beach ( seasonal), Nashville, New Orleans, Orlando, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Portland ( ME), Raleigh / Durham, Sarasota / Bradenton, Savannah ( seasonal), Syracuse )

Transport

Washington Metro: Station Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is located on an elevated, covered outdoor deck and is connected to the Concourse level of the airport. It keep the trains of the yellow and blue lines.
Taxi: Taxis from the airport to Virginia use taximeter; Taxis in the District of Columbia use the zone system of the DC Taxicab Commission, as well as an interstate - supplement is charged, creating a ride costs about 10-20 U.S. dollars to the center of Washington.
Airport shuttle: Various companies offer a door - to-door service.
Street: The airport is located at the George Washington Memorial Parkway and has connections to the U.S. Route 1 through the Airport Viaduct ( State Route 233). Interstate 395 is just north of the airport and is on the GW Parkway and U.S. Route 1 reachable.

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International Civil Aviation Organization airport code IATA-Code Fixed-base operator Airport terminal LaGuardia Airport Eleanor Parke Custis Lewis National Transportation Safety Board United States Capitol Phoenix (Arizona) Tacoma, Washington Sun Country Airlines Envoy (airline)

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