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AIRFIELD DESIGN STANDARDS The FAA and TxDOT-Aviation Division has established design criteria to define the physical dimensions of runways and taxiways and the imaginary surfaces surrounding them which protect the safe operation of aircraft at the airport. These design standards also define the separation criteria for the placement of landside facilities. As discussed previously, FAA and TxDOT design criteria primarily centers around the airport's critical design aircraft. The critical aircraft is the most demanding aircraft or family of aircraft which wiH conduct 250 or more operations (take-off or landing) per year at the airport. Factors included in airport design include an aircraft's wingspan and approach speed, and in some cases, the runway approach visibility minimums. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has established the Airport Reference Code (ARC) to relate these factors to airfield design standards. San Marcos Municipal Airport IS presently used by a wide range of general aviation aircraft. These include single and multi-engine aircraft which fall into ARC A-I and B-1 categories. In addition, larger business turboprop and turbojet aircraft that fall within approach categories B, C, and D and ADGs I and II use the airport. Analysis conducted in Chapter Three, Facility Requirements, concluded that San Marcos Municipal's current critical design aircraft are business aircraft such as the Citation 525 ( a business jet), a Beech King Air 200, and the Swearingen Metro aircraft operated by Berry Aviation. The airport is home to at least one of each of these aircraft. In addition to these based aircraft, the airport is used by transient corporate aircraft on an infrequent basis that fall within the C-II/D-II categories. The Master Plan anticipates that turbojet aircraft use, particularly business jet aircraft use, would increase in the future consistent with national trends and FAA forecasts. It is anticipated that the airport will be increasingly utilized by businesses and fractional ownership groups who wish to conduct business in the San Marcos area. For planning purposes the ARC D-II category should be considered the critical aircraft. Therefore, this Master Plan projects that larger business aircraft (i.e. Gulfstream IV) in category D-II will become the critical aircraft for airport design over the next twenty years. The plan will be put forth in a manner which outlines a facility development program to adjust to these critical aircraft. To safely accommodate these aircraft at San Marcos Municipal Airport in the future, Runway 12-30, the primary runway, is ultimately planned to conform to ARC D- II design standards. Runway 17-35 is also planned to ultimately comply with ARC D-II standards. Runway 8-26, as a crosswind runway, is being planned to meet ARC B-II standards. Runway 4- 22 will be closed. Table 5A depicts airfield design standards for San Marcos Municipal Airport. The design of taxiway and apron areas must also consider the critical aircraft identified for San Marcos Municipal. The primary consideration is given to the wingspan of the most demanding aircraft to operate at the airport. The 5-2