Is it tarmac or ramp?

Answer: Technically both are correct. The ramp is the space where aircraft ground operations such as taxing and parking take place. Tarmac is a shortened version of Tarmacadam, a type of pavement made out of crushed stone covered in tar. The ramp at a paved airport is made of this.



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In general, tarmac is oftentimes used to refer to different areas of an airport where aircraft roam, but the truth is that airports have no area or section officially called tarmac. The parts that are commonly referred to as tarmac include: The runway, which is the way used for takeoff and landing.

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The airport apron, apron, flight line, ramp, or tarmac is the area of an airport where aircraft are parked, unloaded or loaded, refueled, boarded, or maintained. Although the use of the apron is covered by regulations, such as lighting on vehicles, it is typically more accessible to users than the runway or taxiway.

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Pilots often refer to hard landings using terminology usually associated with carrier landings, such as welcome aboard or caught the 3-wire or something similar.

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Adding tar to macadam makes the surface waterproof as well. Since airplanes must take off and land in all sorts of weather, airport runways are often paved with tarmacadam, as are public roads and highways.

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