Summary
Results of measurements to determine peak air traffic densities, the spatial distribution of air traffic, and its variation with time, in the Los Angeles Basin and at several locations from Boston to Washington, D.C. are reported. These measurements include only ATCRBS-transponder equipped aircraft. LA Basin traffic densities are shown to be significantly higher than those measured at any other location. The time- and spatial-average density over a circular region of 10 nmi radius reaches a peak value of 0.1 aircraft per sq. nmi in LA. Under comparable conditions the density in Washington, Philadelphia, and Boston reaches 0.02 to 0.04 aircraft per sq. nmi. These measurements, made in 1976, were compared with the LA Basin Standard Traffic Model as to spatial distribution of traffic and absolute density. The results show that the model and the measurement differ by a scale factor of 5:1 (with density being greater in the model) but otherwise agree closely in spatial distribution.