In the Spotlight

The Airport Pavement R&D section is collaborating with the Airport Asphalt Pavement Technology Program on a project to evaluate a recycled pavement technology called Cold Central Plant Recycling (CCPR) for airport use. This method involves milling old asphalt pavement and processing it in a plant without applying heat, unlike traditional asphalt methods. During CCPR, a new liquid asphalt binder and a small amount of cement are added before the materials are reapplied to the roadway or runway. The project team includes pavement experts from the University of California, Davis, the National Asphalt Pavement Association, the Virginia Department of Transportation, and paving contractor Allan Myers Inc. The CCPR pavement will be installed at the National Airport Pavement Materials Research Center, where the FAA will use the Heavy Vehicle Simulator for Airfields to simulate aircraft wheel loads on the pavement.

Jim Layton 

Personnel from the Emerging Technologies R&D Section assisted Office of Airports Safety and Standards, Emerging Entrants Division, AAS-200, by providing content for the Emerging Entrants Bulletin 25-02, Testing and Demonstrating Autonomous Ground Vehicle Systems (AGVS) at Federally Obligated Airports, published May 21, 2025.

Jim Layton, ANG-E26

Dr. Navneet Garg and Dr. Dan Offenbacker gave tours of the National Airport Pavement Test Facility (NAPTF) to 60 students from Arthur P Schalick, Absegami, and Brick Township High Schools On March 19, 2025. The tours were sponsored by FAA's STEM Aviation and Space Education (AVSED) program.

Dr. Navneet Garg | navneet.garg@faa.gov

Drs. David Brill and Wesley Major represented the Airport Technology R&D Branch (ATR) by presenting research updates for the ATR Safety and Pavement Sections at the 2025 Northeast Chapter Annual Airports Conference held in Hershey, PA, on March 3 – 5, 2025. The Northeast Chapter, American Association of Airport Executives (NEC/AAAE) Conference is a well-attended event intended to support and develop leaders in the aviation industry through networking and professional development opportunities.

David Brill | david.brill@faa.gov
Wesley Major | wesley.major@faa.gov

Russ Gorman of the FAA Airport Technology Research and Development Branch (ATR) attended the Hydrogen Aviation Safety R&D Strategy Meeting held at FAA Headquarters on February 19, 2025, in Washington, DC. The purpose of this all-day meeting was to discuss and plan for a Proposed Architecture Hydrogen Aviation Strategy in response to Section 1019 of the 2024 FAA Reauthorization Act, which calls for the development of a research strategy for hydrogen in aviation.  Issues were identified related to the introduction of hydrogen in aviation, including its introduction into the airport environment, which encompasses the storage, delivery, and usage of hydrogen in this environment.

The attendee list included individuals representing the DOT, FAA, USAF, NREL, DOE, and NASA.

Russ Gorman | william.r.gorman@faa.gov