Height Above Airport (HAA) is defined as the height of which value above the published airport elevation?

• A. Decision Height
• B. Ground Level
• C. Minimum Descent Altitude
• D. Takeoff Height

Answer: (C)

Height Above Airport is about how high the published minimum descent altitude stands above the airport’s elevation. On a non-precision approach, the minimum descent altitude (the lowest altitude you may descend to without vertical guidance) is given relative to sea level, but HAA converts that to a height above the field elevation. So HAA equals the MDA minus the published airport elevation, telling you how far you are above the airport environment at the minimum descent point.

This is why the best choice is the one that ties HAA to the minimum descent altitude above the airport elevation. For context, the other concepts aren’t what HAA uses: decision height is part of precision approaches for the land-or-go-around decision, ground level isn’t a published aviation term for this measurement, and takeoff height isn’t a standard referent for approach minima. For example, if the MDA is 1,200 ft MSL and the airport elevation is 200 ft, the height above the airport is 1,000 ft.