In the Spotlight

Dr. Brill Presents Dr. David R. Brill of the Airport Technology R&D Branch attended and gave an invited keynote lecture to the 12^th International Conference on the Bearing Capacity of Roads, Railways and Airfields (BCRRA2026), held June 21-25 in Ljubljana, Slovenia. In addition to the keynote lecture on "The Challenge of Data for Airport Pavement Design," Dr. Brill presented 3 technical papers on research conducted at the FAA's National Airport Pavement Test Facility (NAPTF). He also participated in a pre-conference workshop on Geosynthetics in Pavement Engineering, at which he presented full-scale test results from the NAPTF Construction Cycle 9 (CC) Geosynthetics Test. The BCRRA is a major international forum for research on pavement structures held every four years. Over 300 participants attended the BCRRA2026 conference, representing 37 countries. The conference proceedings (in preparation; not available yet online) will include four peer-reviewed technical papers by ANG-E262 personnel.

David Brill | ANG-E262

Personnel from the Emerging Technologies Research & Development Section participated in an FAA tabletop exercise with Electra Aero Inc on June 23, 2026 to address policy associated with Electra's proposed short takeoff and landing (STOL) operations for exposition/demonstration and to establish a framework across FAA lines of business (AVS, ARP, and ATO) regarding these operations in the National Airspace System. The Section is particularly interested in this activity, as it will allow researchers to conduct data collection on the landing and takeoff performance of Electra's aircraft in a more controlled environment, which will provide more accurate data collection. The results of these data will be used by ARP to support development of new design standards for eVTOL landing facilities.

Jim Patterson | ANG-E263

FAMS Counter UAS Flight Training Collaboration Participants. Personnel from the Airports Emerging Technology Section, provided oversight, operational control, and subject matter expertise (SME) to the Federal Air Marshal Service (FAMS) as they trained pilots assigned to their Counter Drone program for deployment to support World Cup initiatives on June 8-11, 2026. Fifteen pilots graduated the training, which ensured operational dexterity in flying unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in various operating domains, with a sound integration of operating in an airport environment and optimizing safety in the National Airspace System (NAS).

The Federal partner support epitomized all five focus areas for the William J. Hughes Technical Center for Advanced Aerospace, by way of advancing our workforce, training and testing new technologies, continuing the outreach and fortifying the Federal partnership, and putting the E263 on the map as the premier facilitators of training and testing for the communities of practice that have Counter-UAS (C-UAS) missions on or around airports.

William Perkins | ANG-E263

Dr. Dan Offenbacker and a support contractor team conducted a site visit to Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) on June 12, 2026 to collect asphalt mixtures from a paving project that includes recycled asphalt pavement (RAP) in the mix. The purpose of the sample collection is to evaluate the performance of FAA Specification P-401 asphalt mixtures containing RAP. The asphalt mixtures will be evaluated for fatigue resistance (long term cooler temperature related distress), cracking, and rutting resistance (high load or high temperature related distress) in the laboratory. The study further aims to assess P-401 mixture variability during production, (i.e. variability as it comes from the asphalt plant vs laboratory produced material). The findings from this field collection are expected to guide conclusions regarding the viability of incorporating up to 20% RAP into the FAA standards for P-401 surface asphalt mixtures. Current FAA standards do not allow the use of RAP in asphalt surface layers.

Dr. Dan Offenbacker | ANG-E262

Dr. Dan Offenbacker presented at the 2026 TRB Symposium on Aviation Innovation and Research in Dayton, Ohio during the session titled Latest Advances in Airfield Pavement Design and Evaluation. The presentation focused on the FAA's research initiative of "Moving Towards 40-Year Airport Pavement Design Life," highlighting the agency's efforts to extend structural longevity and optimize long-term pavement performance. The session drew approximately 20 attendees from across the aviation industry and concluded with a panel Q&A session. This presentation serves to share current FAA pavement design methodologies and engage with industry stakeholders on upcoming advancements in airport pavement design and evaluation.

Dr. Dan Offenbacker | ANG-E262