FAA Airport Technology Research & Developement Branch News Page
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 NAPTF
10th Anniversary Video
Significant Activity Reports
The Airport Technology R & D Branch provides a weekly report on
significant activities within the branch. These activities include, but are not
limited to, project testing dates, announcements of publications, travel
highlights, visiting dignitaries and groups, and all other activities deemed
significant. Significant activity reports may be viewed by
"scrolling down" or clicking on the following shortcuts to jump to the
report for that
date.
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May 28, 2009
May 22, 2009
May 14, 2009
May 7, 2009
April 30, 2009
April 23, 2009
April 16, 2009
April 9, 2009
April 2, 2009
March 19, 2009
March 12, 2009
March 5, 2009
February 27, 2009
February 20, 2009
February 13, 2009
February 06, 2009
January 30, 2009
January 14, 2009
January 09, 2009 |
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Significant Activities for the Week ending May 28, 2009
Solar Powered LED Runway Guard Light: The Airport Safety Team
concluded a year-long evaluation of solar powered LED runway guard light units
installed in a hot spot area at DuPage Airport in West Chicago, Illinois. Team
personnel spoke with Air Traffic Control personnel, who acknowledged the units
enhanced pilot awareness of the hold short position line at that particular
intersection, reducing the potential for runway incursions.
Wildlife Hazard Mitigation: Ryan King participated in a conference
call conducted by the FAA Office of Accident Investigation, providing
information on current research activities using bird detection radar technology
to mitigate wildlife hazards at airports. The meeting was a preliminary step in
preparing potential FAA witnesses for testimony at the National Transportation
Safety Board (NTSB) public hearing on US Airways Flight 1549, scheduled for June
9-10, 2009.
Significant Activities for the Week ending May 22, 2009
CROW Workshop in Amsterdam: Jeff Gagnon, Dr. David Brill, and Dr. Edward Guo
attended CROW (European Airfield Pavement Group) workshop in Amsterdam,
Netherlands from May 12-14, 2009. Gagnon, Brill, and Guo conducted a FAARFIELD
Workshop attended by 40 participants. Participants were able to use FAARFIELD
and followed along with the presented examples. Brill and Guo also presented
papers based on FAA research.
Significant Activities for the Week ending May 14, 2009
Visual Guidance Research Test Bed: Airport Safety Sub-Team
personnel held a meeting with the Delaware River and Bay Authority Director of
Airports and staff to discuss the feasibility of using either Millville
Municipal Airport or Cape May Airport as the location for the new research test
bed. The participants determined that Cape May Airport was most promising
facility for this effort with potential for both a taxiway and runway test bed.
Significant Activities for the Week ending May 7, 2009
Wildlife Hazard Mitigation: On May 1, 2009 Chicago Department of Aviation of
received notification of formal approval of the 7460 permit application for the
FAA’s Avian Radar Project (ahead of the projected June 30 date). Based on this
study, there were no objections from an airspace utilization standpoint, and no
effects on Instrument Flight Rules.
Airport Ground Vehicle Navigation Systems: Nick Subbotin and Don Gallagher met
with two different company representatives on their unique GPS navigation and
tracking systems. This was the first step in identifying current technology that
is capable in giving airport ground vehicles a navigation device(s) for ensuring
safe operations on airports and preventing runway incursions.
Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting: Members of the Aircraft Rescue and Fire
Fighting Research Program met with representative of the Air Force Research
Laboratory (Tyndall, AFB) for a Program Review of the research being conducted
under an Interagency Agreement between the two organizations. The group
discussed the status of current projects as well as the direction of future R&D
projects to be conducted between the two organizations.
Airport Paint Marking Retro Reflective Beads: Summary of results on the airborne
evaluation of Type I and Type III beads, conducted at ACY, is being compiled for
update to sponsor. Ground based bead project evaluating the three standard beads
and two new beads is continuing with data collection ending July 2009. .
Savannah: William Nelmes, Manager, ELSA Acquisitions Group in Southern Region
has assigned Contracting Officer Charlotte Washington, to develop an "Other
Transaction" contract vehicle, similar to a Reimbursable Agreement, with the SAV
Airport Authority. As of this morning, Paul Jones and Don Gallagher are trying
to get a commitment date from Ms. Washington for the contract to be in place.
Bird RADAR/USDA: We will have an update later today.
National Airport Pavement Test Vehicle (NAPTV): Third phase work continued on
schedule for the vehicle upgrade. Wiring on the carriages is complete and
trouble shooting of the system continues.
Full Scale High Tire Pressure Test: The heating systems for the pavement section
were turned on and tested. The asphalt surface temperatures under thermal
blankets for both the hydronic and electrical grid sections reached temperatures
over 100°F. Uncovered, these sections held asphalt surface temperatures above
90°F.
Significant Activities for the Week ending
April 30, 2009
Wildlife Strike Database Online Access: The Airport Safety Team
oversaw the launch of the FAA National Wildlife Strike Database to the general
public on April 24, 2009. As anticipated by Team personnel, the database
experienced significant traffic. During the period July 22, 2002 through April
23, 2009 there were approximately 70,000 database queries. In the five days
after the launch, database usage totaled more than 81,000 queries.
Taxiway Centerline Deviation: Researchers completed the
installation of two taxiway deviation data collection systems at Palm Beach
International Airport. This brings to four the number of operational systems
online at three airports. Within the next month, researchers plan to install the
fifth and final system at O’Hare International Airport.
Significant Activities for the Week ending
April 23, 2009
Runway Guard Light Project: Renee Williams of the Airport Safety Team
conferred with researchers from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Lighting
Research Center at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) on installation of
a prototype runway guard light unit at EWR.
Taxiway Centerline Deviation: Crews completed infrastructure work, including
concrete, conduit, wiring, and electrical power, for taxiway deviation data
collection systems at Orlando International Airport (MCO) on April 17, 2009.
Researchers began installing the data collection system at MCO this week and
will start installing two systems at Palm Beach International Airport later this
week.
AAAE Workshop: Jim Patterson of the Airport Safety Team delivered three
presentations at the AAAE Airfield Safety, Sign Systems, and Maintenance
Management Workshop in Kansas City, Missouri on April 19-21, 2009. Patterson
spoke on FOD Detection Research, Visual Guidance Research, and Trapezoidal
Grooving.
AIRBUS High Tire Pressure Tests Workshop: Dr. Gordon Hayhoe, Al Larkin, and Jeff
Gagnon from the Airport Technology R&D Team and support consultant Roy McQueen
of Roy D. McQueen & Associates, Ltd. attended a two-day workshop on High Tire
Pressure Testing (HPTP) conducted by AIRBUS and Service Technique de l’Aviation
Civile (STAC) at AIRBUS’ facility at Toulouse-Blagnac Airport. Team members gave
three presentations describing current testing at the FAA Airport Pavement Test
Facility. More than 45 people from France, United Kingdom, Denmark, Australia,
and Singapore attended the workshop.
Cooperation Workshop: Dr. Gordon Hayhoe, Al Larkin, and Jeff Gagnon from the
Airport Technology R&D Team and support consultant Roy McQueen of Roy D. McQueen
& Associates, Ltd. participated a Cooperation Workshop with representatives of
Service Technique de l’Aviation Civile (STAC) at Toulouse, France. The annual
meeting between the FAA and STAC was held during a two-day workshop in STAC’s
new facility in Toulouse. Team personnel briefed STAC on a broad range of
research currently under way at the FAA facility, including FAARFIELD, runway
roughness, airfield Superpave mix design, and Foreign Object Debris (FOD) radar.
Significant Activities for the Week ending April 16, 2009
Airport Paint Marking Retro Reflective Beads: The funds certifier verified
with William Nelmes, Manager, ELSA Acquisitions Group in Southern Region, that
the funding for the SAV project is available. His office is working on the
issuing of a contract to the Savannah Hilton Head Airport Authority for the
installation of runway pavement markings containing retro reflective beads.
Avian Radar Technology Assessment: Jim Patterson contacted Travis Duvalt from
the USDA to perform a technology assessment of an avian radar system
manufactured by DeTect. This work will be conducted under an existing
Inter-Agency agreement with the USDA.
Taxiway Centerline Deviation: The infrastructure (concrete, conduit, wiring,
electrical power) for the taxiway deviation data collection systems at Orlando
and West Palm Beach are being completed this week. Early next week, researchers
will install the data collection systems.
FOD Detection: The mobile FOD Finder unit that we are evaluating at Chicago
O'Hare was put to the test in a real world situation recently. The unit was used
to detect FOD after a minor vehicle accident occurred on an apron area at the
airport. The operations crew picked up all of the pieces that they could visibly
see, but when the FOD Finder vehicle was used to conduct a final sweep of the
area, it found several small pieces that were missed. Chicago Dept of Aviation
is reportedly very happy with the performance of the unit.
National Airport Pavement Test Vehicle (NAPTV): Third phase work continued on
schedule for the vehicle upgrade. Workers have completed about 90% of their work
associated with the control cab upgrade and 90% of the wiring on the north and
south carriages. The next step of work will be to conduct hydraulic system
testing and to install software upgrades to the vehicle control system.
Abstract Accepted: Three abstracts were accepted for presentation at the GeoShanghai International Conference, Shanghai, China June 3-5, 2010. The titles
of the papers are:
1. “PAVEAIR – the Federal Aviation Administration’s New Web-Based Airport
Pavement Management System” by Albert Larkin and Jeffrey Gagnon.
2. “Subgrade Stress Measurements under Heavy Aircraft Gear Loading at FAA
National Airport Pavement Test Facility” by Navneet Garg, Frank Pecht and Qingge
Jia (SRA)
3. “Predicting Rutting of Unbound Aggregate layers Using Total Void calculation
under Full-Scale Testing at FAA National Airport Pavement Test Facility” by
Jeffrey Gagnon and Navneet Garg.
Significant Activities for the Week ending
April 9, 2009
Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting: Keith Bagot and Steve Murphy of the
Airport Safety Sub-Team provided a demonstration of the Aircraft Rescue and Fire
Fighting (ARFF) Research Program's High Performance Research Vehicle (HPRV) for
senior representatives from the DOT: Linda Jacobs Washington, Assistant
Secretary for Administration, Gary Columbia, Director, Office of Strategic
Management Oversight, George Fields, Director, Office of Real and Personal
Property and Asset Management, and Keith Washington, Deputy Director, Office
Human Resource Management. Bagot and Murphy highlighted the earlier development
of the High Reach Extendible Turrets (HRET) and penetrating nozzle. They also
provided a description of the new generation 65' HRET to tie the research to the
current program efforts for New Large Aircraft.
Advanced Testing and Characterization of Bituminous Materials Paper:
One paper
from the Airport Pavement Sub-Team was accepted for presentation and publication
at the 7th International RILEM Symposium on Advanced Testing and
Characterization of Bituminous Materials (ATCBM09) - Rhodes, Greece. The title
of the paper is Performance of HMA Surface Under High Tire Pressure Aircraft
Landing Gear Configuration at the FAA’s National Airport Pavement Test Facility
by Navneet Garg, Tom Bennert, & Harkanwal Brar
Asphalt Institute Airport Pavement Workshop: Dr. Gordon Hayhoe participated in
the Asphalt Institute Airport Pavement Workshop held in Rosemont IL from April
7-9, 2009. Hayhoe presented and demonstrated the FAA’s new airport pavement
design program, FAARFIELD to the workshop participants.
Significant Activities for the Week ending
April 2, 2009
Airport Paint Marking Retro Reflective Beads: Researchers conducted flight
testing at the Atlantic City International Airport (ACY) for the airborne
evaluation of Type I and Type III beads to determine the adequacy of both beads
for safe operations. Personnel have shipped Type I and Type III beads to
Savannah, Georgia for airborne side by side comparison tests. Airport Safety
Team members contacted William Nelmes, Manager of ELSA Acquisitions Group in the
Southern Region for the contract for pavement marking installation at Savannah.
Nelmes has indicated acceptance of the PR and requested additional information
for the contract for the pavement marking installation, which FAA personnel
provided.
Low Cost Ground Surveillance: Renee Williams met with representatives of X-Sight
Systems at Boston Logan International Airport to determine if their Foreign
Object Debris (FOD) detection system installed on one of the runways could be
used in a ground surveillance application.
Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting: Keith Bagot and Nick Subbotin traveled to
Center for Management and Executive Leadership (CMEL) in Palm Coast, Florida to
present the latest updates on the Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF)
Research and Development program to Airport Certification Inspectors attending
the Recurrent Certification (Part 139) Course. Topics included the Next
Generation High Reach Extendible Turret (HRET), Composite Fire Fighting,
Interior Intervention Vehicle, and Quantities of Fire Fighting Agent
Methodologies.
Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting: Nick Subbotin participated in the National
Fire Protection Association (NFPA) ARFF Technical Committee meetings March
26-27, 2009 in San Diego, California. This committee is comprised of
international regulatory authorities, ARFF equipment manufacturers, consultants,
airports, ARFF Chiefs and researchers. Nick updated the committee on various
NFPA standards.
Visual Guidance Lighting: Airport Safety Sub-Team personnel attended meetings at
the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Lighting Research Center on March 30- April
1, 2009. Topics included light color boundaries and incandescent light infrared
signature versus LED lights.
Significant Activities for the Week ending
March 19, 2009
Foreign Object Debris Detection Evaluation – Camera and Mobile System:
Representatives from Stratech and Trex Enterprises completed installation of
their respective FOD detection systems at O'Hare International Airport. The
Stratech FOD system features two very high powered cameras to monitor about 1500
feet of Runway 9R-27L and Taxiway MM. The mobile system can monitor the entire
airfield as the vehicle is driven around. Each company is conducting training
and will proceed with our evaluation activity.
Imaging and Radar Systems at NASA: Ryan King met with NASA
personnel in Orlando, Florida to see two active systems: One was an imaging
system called Bird Vision that uses three cameras and processing algorithms to
detect tracks and provide 3-D location visualization of bird targets within
areas determined to be at risk for collisions with the Space Shuttle during
launch. The second system is a customized version of DeTect MERLIN avian radar
system.
JFK Avian Radar Update: The two Accipiter avian radar systems
slated for deployment arrived at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) on
March 17, 2009. Initial clutter mapping site location data was also recorded for
22 potential sites at JFK on March 17, 2009.
Significant Activities for the Week ending
March 12, 2009
REDAC Subcommittee on Airports: The spring meeting of the
Subcommittee was held at the Technical Center on March 10-11. Sub-committee
members were joined by Barry Scott, ATO’s Director of Aviation Research. The
subcommittee was briefed on the airport R&D underway in FY-2009. The committee
also made recommendations for FY-2011 budget.
Low-cost Surveillance Systems: Met with Michael G. Cheston of
Aviation Management Associates, Inc to discuss the interest of using low-cost
surveillance system in ramp areas and in off-airport ARFF incident responses.
This was a follow-up meeting suggested by Mike O’Donnell.
Airport Paint Marking Retro Reflective Beads: 9th month of
objective data collection on the ground based evaluation of Type I, Type III,
Type IV and two new beads, Visi Max and 3M was completed. 4th month objective
data collection completed for the airborne evaluation of Type I, Type III beads
to determine the adequacy of both beads for safe operations. Type I and Type III
beads were purchased for Savannah, GA airborne tests. We are working with
Southern Region for the contract for the pavement marking installation at
Savannah, GA.
Full Scale High Tire Pressure Test: Construction work continues on
the heated pavement test section to be used for the high tire pressure test.
Over the past week the heating elements, electric mesh and hydronic, were tested
and found to be working properly. The aggregate base course has been completed
and the first layer of asphalt pavement is scheduled to be placed next week. The
purpose of this test, in cooperation with Boeing, is to determine the effects of
higher tire pressures on asphalt surface pavement.
Construction Cycle 4 (CC4): The demolition of the concrete overlay
for CC4 continues. Vane shear, Dynamic Cone Penetration (DCP) and Light Weight
Deflectometer (LWD) tests were conducted on the subgrade, where the plate load
tests had been completed last week, for a comparison study. The work is being
performed under a cooperative agreement with the Innovative Pavement Research
Foundation (IPRF). The purpose of the project, 06-03, is to study concrete
pavement overlays of concrete pavements.
Significant Activities for the Week ending
March 5, 2009
Chicago Bird Radar Study: The first milestone targeted for March 31, 2009,
was completed on March 3, 2009. The Department of Aviation completed the survey
of the proposed radar locations and providing the data necessary for submittal
of the FAA Form 7460 Construction Permit Application. The O’Hare Modernization
Program office will submit the 7460 application to the FAA.
32nd Annual Airport Conference: Members of the Airport Technology Branch
participated as speakers at the Annual Airport Conference, March 3-5, 2009 in
Hershey, Pennsylvania. Research areas covered included: Airport Pavements,
Foreign Object Debris Detections Systems, Airfield Rescue and Firefighting,
Visual Guidance and Heliports.
National Airport Pavement Test Vehicle (NAPTV): Work continues on the upgrade of
the pavement test vehicle. Workers have completed about 35 percent of their work
associated with the control cab upgrade.
Full-Scale High Tire Pressure Test: On February 26, 6” of econocrete was placed
in the high tire pressure/heated pavement test item. In addition, 50’x12’ of
Hotmesh flexible electric heating grid was installed within the concrete
sub-base by five representatives of the contractor company, four of whom came in
from South Korea.
Construction Cycle 4 (CC4): The demolition of the concrete overlay for CC4 is
complete. Plate load tests were performed on the base course layer and the subgrade. The work is being performed under a cooperative agreement with the
Innovative Pavement Research Foundation (IPRF). The purpose of the project,
06-03, is to study concrete pavement overlays of concrete pavements.
ACC/AAAE Airport Planning, Design & Construction Symposium, Denver, CO: Navneet
Garg from the pavements section participated from February 25-27, 2009. He
presented FAA’s Superpave Related Research. Approximately 55 people attended the
workshop.
Applied Research Associates (ARA) Visit: On Tuesday, February 24, Dr. Jim Hall
and Mr. Brian Aho from ARA demonstrated their airport pavement management
software application, AIRPAVE, and provided a copy of the Pavement Condition
Index (PCI) curves. The FAA will compare the ARA PCI software with our software
PAVEAIR.
Significant Activities for the Week ending
February 27, 2009
CEAT Program Review and Award Ceremony: Prof. Edwin Herricks of the FAA's Center
for Excellence for Airport Technology (CEAT) at the University of Illinois was
honored by the FAA with an Aviation Research award for his work supporting the
FAA in using aviation radar technology to mitigate bird strike hazards at
airports on February 19, 2009. Barry Scott, FAA Director of Research &
Technology Development, Dr. David Lange, CEAT Director, Ryan King, Jim
Patterson, Dr. David R. Brill, and Albert Larkin of the Airport Technology R&D
Team attended the ceremony. The FAA attendees toured and viewed a demonstration
of current research at CEAT and the Airport Technology Research and Engineering
Laboratory (ATREL). In the afternoon, Dr. Brill and Larkin attended a program
review of current airport pavement technology research at CEAT.
Taxiway Deviation: Jim Patterson met with the City of Chicago Department of
Aviation at O�Hare International Airport to discuss the upcoming installation of
a taxiway deviation system and the best location for the installation.
Participants identified a site on the north side of the airport at Taxiway P
that will be easy to access, is in close proximity to an electrical vault, and
will experience a large amount of traffic.
Heliport Visual Aids: Renee Williams attended the Helicopter Association
International (HAI) Heli-Expo convention in Anaheim, CA. Attendees discussed
issues concerning heliport operations.
Wildlife Hazard Mitigation: Ryan King met with the FAA Eastern Region Office and
the Port Authority of NY&NJ at their request to provide a status of the planned
bird radar system deployment at JFK.
Full Scale High Tire Pressure Test: Construction work continues on the heated
pavement test section for high tire pressure testing. Personnel installed Hydronic heating coils and plan to install a hot mesh electrical system prior to
the placement of the econocrete. Researchers, in cooperation with Boeing, will
test to determine the effects of higher tire pressures on asphalt surface course
pavement.
Significant Activities for the Week ending
February 20, 2009
Full Scale High Tire Pressure Test: Construction work has started on the heated
pavement test section to be used for the high tire pressure test with the
demolition of a 12�x100� section of Construction Cycle 5 pavement. Airport
Safety Team researchers, in cooperation with representatives from The Boeing
Company, hope to determine the effects of higher tire pressures on asphalt
surface course pavement.
Aircraft Classification Number/Pavement Classification Number Working Group
Meeting: Airport Safety researcher Dr. Gordon Hayhoe, along with Izydor Kawa of
SRA participated in the Aircraft Classification Number/Pavement Classification
Number (ACN/PCN) Working Group meeting in Seattle, WA. Participants discussed
the COMFAA software program and required upgrades and changes. The group
includes Dr. Dick Alvin, a Pavement Consultant, Roy McQueen of RMC, Rodney Joel
from AAS-100, Gary Mitchell from the American Concrete Pavement Association, and
Boeing Company representatives Ken DeBord, Ed Gervais, and Mike Roginski.
ICAO Visual Aids Working Group: Donald Gallagher attended the sixth meeting of
the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Visual Aids Working Group
from February 9-13, 2009 in Montreal, Canada. Participants from 25 member states
discussed Light Emitting Diodes (LED) implementation issues, the effects of
Enhanced Flight Vision Systems when using LED lighting, chromaticity boundaries
with new LED applications, and solar power airfield lighting.
Significant Activities for the Week ending
February 13, 2009
Composite Material Fire Fighting: Members of the Airport Technology R&D Sub-Team
met with researchers from the USAF Composite Fire Fighting Program and the FAA's
Cabin Fire Safety Research Program. This meeting was to initiate the development
of a professional working group to develop a standardized fire test protocol for
determining adequacy of fire fighting agents and techniques for post-crash fires
involving aircraft manufactured with composite materials.
Low Cost Ground Surveillance (LCGS): This week I.D Systems and Searidge
Technologies gave a briefing at the Tech Center discussing their RFID system and
video surveillance system, respectively. Last week a site visit was conducted at
Spokane International Airport in Spokane, Washington to gather information on a
Prototype LCGS system installed at the airport.
National Airport Pavement Test Vehicle (NAPTV): Third phase work continued on
schedule for the upgrade. Control panel boards have been installed on both
carriages with 25% of the wiring on the north carriage completed. Minor
hydraulic repair work on the existing modules continues.
Airport Pavement Design Workshop, Richmond, VA: Dr. David Brill is participating
as an instructor in the Airport Pavement Design Workshop sponsored by the
Airport Consultants Council (ACC) Institute. The topics covered by Dr. Brill
include an overview of FAA pavement design procedures using the new AC
150/5320-6E, "Airport Pavement Design and Evaluation," and the new FAARFIELD 1.3
software, flexible pavement design, hot mix asphalt (HMA) overlay design using
FAARFIELD and pavement overloads.
Significant Activities for the Week ending
February 6, 2009
Wildlife Hazard Mitigation: Ryan King participated in the annual planning
meeting for the new 5-year Interagency Agreement (IAA) between the FAA and the
US Department of Agriculture, Animal Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife
Services (USDA/APSHIS/WS). FAA and USDA personnel responsible for research into
methods and techniques to mitigate hazards associated with the presence of
wildlife on or near airports attended the meeting. The five-year IAA covers both
operation and maintenance of wildlife strike reporting as well as research
activities related to controlling hazardous species and managing attractive
habitats.
Foreign Object Debris Detection/Avian Radar Research: Ryan King and Jim
Patterson reached a final agreement with the City of Chicago to permit our
Foreign Object Debris (FOD) Detection and Avian Radar projects to proceed. King
and Patterson provided specific details on their research efforts so that a
Right of Entry agreement could be established for the two projects
Light Emitting Diodes Research: Donald Gallagher participated in the RTCA, Inc.
meeting in Wichita, Kansas, January 26-30, 2009. The current Enhanced Flight
Vision Systems (EFVS) rely on the amount of Infrared (IR) being emitted from the
lamps used in approach and runway lighting. Participants discussed the
Department of Energy�s mandate to phase out incandescent lamps that will affect
both approach lighting and airfield lighting. The new technology being
implemented is Light Emitting Diodes, which are more efficient then an
incandescent lamp and produce�s almost no IR. Gallagher recommended that EFVS
should be thought of as a complete system and both aircraft and ground equipment
should be specified in an EFVS Advisor Circular and not as a requirement for
lighting.
Significant Activities for the Week ending
January 30, 2009
Wildlife Hazard Mitigation: Ryan King has been compiling
documentation related to FAA�s involvement in wildlife hazard mitigation
research. Two interviews were conducted in the past week, one with the local
Press of Atlantic City newspaper, and one with the Associated Press.
Engineered Material Arresting Systems (EMAS): EMAS demonstrated a newly
developed field procedure for retrofitting latest generation plastic tops onto
older EMAS beds whose blocks have Durock concrete tops. The new plastic tops
offer better resistance to water penetration, and offer maintenance benefits
over the old Durock tops that required periodic repainting.
Runway Friction: Ryan King delivered a preliminary proposal for coordinated work
to the Wright Patterson Air Force Base. The Airport Safety Technology Sub-Team
is proposing a feasibility study and design concept for modifying their internal
drum dynamometer to accommodate anti-skid braking assembly. This work represents
one aspect of a larger effort to mathematically modeling the anti-skid braking
system into the FAA Simulator software to measure aircraft decelerations during
landings on contaminated runway surfaces.
Paul Jones, AJP-6310, (609) 485-6713, 01/29/09
Update of P-401 Mix Design to Superpave Specifications: Personnel from the
Airport Pavement Technology Sub-Team met with SRA and its sub-consultants (RDM &
Assoc., Advance Asphalt Technology and Soiltek) to discuss the completed
Superpave testing to date, the completion of the Phase 1 work and to finalize
the scope of work for Phase 2 testing. The purpose of this Delivery Order is to
update the P-401 mix design from the old Marshal Method to the new Superpave Mix
design.
Atlanta-Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport Filed Instrumentation & Data
Collection: Frank Pecht traveled to Atlanta-Hartsfield Jackson International
Airport, Atlanta, Georgia, to replace an existing remote Data Acquisition System
which was struck by lightening and. The new system includes a Data logger, 4
Multiplexers and a Cell Modem. The purpose of this Delivery Order is to remotely
collect real time concrete pavement data from an existing taxiway at ATL.
8th International Conference on the Bearing Capacity of Roads, Railways, and
Airfields (BCR2A): Two papers from the Airport Pavement Technology Sub-Team were
accepted for presentation and publication. The titles of the papers are:
-
A Comparative Subgrade Evaluation using CBR, Vane Shear, and Light Weight
Deflectometer (LWD), and Resilient Modulus Tests, by Dr. Navneet Garg,
Albert Larkin and Harkenwal Brar (SRA)
-
Analysis of In-Pavement Sensor Data for CC2 New Rigid Test Items at the
National Airport Pavement Test Facility by Dr. David Brill and Dr. Edward Guo
(SRA).
Jeff Gagnon, AJP-6312, (609) 485-5226, 01/29/09
Significant Activities for the Week ending
January 14, 2009
Heliport Visual Aids: Nighttime evaluations were conducted on the TLOF and FATO
perimeter lighting on the helipad. The test included evaluation of the beam
spread, intensity, and chromaticity of the lights. Coast Guard pilots were used
as subjects.
Low Cost Ground Surveillance (LCGS): A teleconference was conducted with a
company specializing in video surveillance called Searidge Technologies. It was
an information gathering session, with the end result being a possible site
visit in the future
National Airport Pavement Test Vehicle (NAPTV): Third phase work continued on
schedule for the upgrade of the wheels module system. Over the last week,
hydraulics work crews completed installation of accumulator tanks and the
connection of all flexible hydraulic hoses to the modules. Electrical work crews
installed wiring trays, conduit and wiring to connect the pressure and
temperature sensors of the modules to the new control panels.
Transportation Research Board (TRB) 88th Annual Meeting: Dr. Navneet Garg
presented the paper entitled, �Posttraffic Testing to Study Failure Mechanisms
of Rubblized Concrete Pavements with Hot-Mix Asphalt Overlays� during Session
300 on Monday, January 12th. Jeff Gagnon presented a NAPTF R&D Update to the
ASCE Airport Pavement Committee on the evening of Sunday, January 11th.
Construction Cycle 4 (CC4): Coring of the concrete underlay was completed by QES.
The next round of plate loading tests for the subbase and subgrade are not
schedule to be undertaken until the NAPTV is able to move, which is estimated to
be the middle of March. The work is being performed under a cooperative
agreement with the Innovative Pavement Research Foundation (IPRF). The purpose
of the project, 06-03, is to study concrete pavement overlays of concrete
pavements.
Significant Activities for the Week ending
January 9, 2009
Taxiway Centerline Deviation Study: Airport Safety Researchers
are coordinating installation of the five taxiway deviation data collection
systems. Personnel are negotiating with a suitable contractor to install the
electrical and concrete infrastructure needed for Palm Beach International
Airport and Orlando International Airport. The system at Manchester-Boston
Regional Airport (MHT) continues to collect data. As a precaution, one laser
that was reporting excessive operating temperatures was replaced with a backup
unit. The first set of data from MHT should be sent to The Boeing Company within
the next month.
Drivers Enhanced Vision System: Researchers are completing the last phase of
testing using the FAA�s aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) research vehicle
at the FAA William J. Hughes Technical Center. The last phase includes final GPS
testing and using South Jersey Transportation Authority airport firefighters as
evaluation subjects.
Airport Paint Marking Retro Reflective Beads: Ground based subjective and
objective data collection continued on Type I, Type III, Type IV, and two new
beads, Visi Max and 3M. Researchers completed the first month�s airborne
subjective and objective data collection for Type I and Type III beads to
determine the adequacy of both beads for safe operations. Savannah Hilton Head
International Airport has offered the use of a runway test site for an airborne
side by side comparison of Type I and III beads to validate findings from
previous research that Type III beads can provide a more conspicuous visual cue.
Towbarless Towing Vehicle: Jim Patterson and Gordon Hayhoe witnessed the field
testing of the Towbarless Towing Vehicle (TLTV) towing B-777 aircraft on Dec. 16
& 17, 2008 at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) with representatives from
American Airlines, Air France, and Goldhofer AG. Patterson and Hayhoe also
witnessed a lighting evaluation of the TLTV under towing conditions during these
trials. Goldhofer will perform additional tests at CDG in 2009. Theses tests are
high-speed at high-load and push-backs at low- and high-load. American Airlines
may run a further series of tests at DFW pending receipt of the remaining test
results.
FAA R&D ANNUAL REVIEW
2006 R&D Annual Review
2005 R&D Annual Review
2004 R&D Annual Review
2003 R&D Annual Review
2002 R&D Annual Review
FAA's R&D Review Newsletter
2007, Issue 2
2006, Issue 4
2006, Issue 3
2006, Issue 2
2006, Issue 1
Spring 2005
Winter 2004-2005
Fall 2004
Spring 2004
Fall 2003
Summer 2003
Spring 2003
Fall 2002
Summer 2002
Spring 2002
Winter 2002
Last Update:
09/14/09
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