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Job Title:

Senior Airport Planner / Environmental Planner (FAA, Federal Aviation Administration)

Related Job Title:

Facilities Planning Director, Flight Standards Airport Development Engineer, Airport Compliance Officer, Airport Operations Officer, Urban Planner/Architect, Safety and Compliance Officer, Environmental Compliance Engineer

Job Description:

This work would entail managing people as well as managing informational documents. A Senior Airport Planner would perform reviews of documents such as Airport Master Plans (which consist of blueprints and narrative descriptions all of which must comply with Environmental and Safety Laws). The Planner would participate in discussions of written proposals and would review all proposals to ensure compliance with Federal and State laws. The Planner would also participate in hiring consultants who would do the work required and to evaluate their performances for legal compliance and safety. Thoroughly reading and reviewing airport master plan documents for compliance with the National Environmental Protection Act is also an important part of this work. The Planner would also be responsible for advising airport commissions when the committees have questions regarding expansions or improvements they want to have performed at their particular airport. They would also distribute Federal funds to approved airports projects.

Areas of Expertise:

• Knowledge of the Federal and State laws regarding construction, environment, traffic flow, urban development, aviation and airport operations.
• Building design and construction

Interests and Abilities

• Ability to read and understand a wide variety of maps and blueprints
• Ability to keep track of a large number of rules, regulations, and laws
• Sensitivity to the environment and mankind's effect upon it
• Understanding of ground-based and air-based traffic issues
• Understanding of the various phases of construction
• Interest and understanding of geology

Suggested Subjects To Study In School:

• Environmental Studies
• Technical Drawing
• Urban Planning Law
• Architectural Design
• Aeronautics
• Environmental Geology
• Geography and mapping

Education and Training Needed:

• Degree in one of the following: civil engineering, transportation engineering, city (urban) planning, environmental studies, environmental geology, architecture.
• Plus specialized training; For example, the Federal Aviation Administration provides specialized training at their training center in Oklahoma City for topics such as engineering, environmental planning, safety and airport operations.

You might want to further explore this career by checking out the web sites given below:

What can I do right now?

• Learn how to read and draw all kinds of maps.
• Practice drawing sketches of buildings.
• Visit an airport and carefully observe the action:
  • transportation to and from the airport
  • the movement of people from outside to inside the terminal
  • the movement of aircraft and vehicles around the runways, taxiways and at the gates.
• Attend a city council meeting when the council is discussing city planning issues especially about the airport.
• Do your next social studies project on airports or (urban) city planning.
• Take math courses in algebra and geometry.

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