Armann Norheim, Rapporteur of the ICAO Friction Task Force speaks to Bryan
Camoens on the issues facing airfields around the globe, wet weather conditions and how
maintainence and planning schedules should be set.
Bryan Camoens:
What are some of the issues that airfields are facing across the globe?
Armann Norheim:
Increased focus on safety areas (RESA). There has been a growing awareness among regulators of the fact that operations on wet and contaminated runways do not have the desired safety level and this has brought the quality of safety areas into sharp focus.
Bryan Camoens:
Could you please elaborate on some of the challenges and solutions for airfield expansion and renewal projects?
Armann Norheim:
Airports built before today’s safety standards and recommendations came into effect might find themselves in situation with no room available to expand. The reason for this can be topographic or built in by expanding urban areas. An emerging solution to this problem related to safety areas is the new technology of Engineered Materials Arresting Systems (EMAS) for aircraft overruns.
Bryan Camoens:
What key issues need to be taken into account when attempting to maximise safety and efficiency for airports?
Armann Norheim:
Appropriate safety areas dimensioned and free for obstacles to meet the operational requirements of the aeroplanes for which the runway is intended. With appropriate safety areas the airliners can utilise the full potential payload of their aircrafts. (Reduced/lack of safety areas should result in reduced published declared distances, TORA, LDA).
Bryan Camoens:
Given the considerable economic growth in the region, what steps need to be taken to ensure a world class regulatory and development environments for the Asia Pacific?
Armann Norheim:
Survey the region airports and identify noncompliance with respect to safety areas and obstacles there upon. And then initiate corrective measures.
Bryan Camoens:
With weather conditions becoming fiercer every year, what tactics can be used for mitigating the impact of cold climates on pavement condition and maintenance requirements?
Armann Norheim:
For the wet situation (local rain intensity) improve drainage by adding texture; e.g. grooving of runways. This will reduce the potential for hydroplaning and also reduce the potential for ice formation on runways (It drains before it freezes). Constructed and organized the proper way this might by some authorities lead to performance credit for the operators. For the snow and ice contaminated situation, use of de- and anti-icing runway chemicals to
keep the runways in a “no worse than wet” condition. If this is not achievable there will be a need for trained personnel and proper dimensioned snow removal equipment. For trained personnel, the focus must be, most important, on their ability to identify and report the runway state in a way meaningful for the pilot. (Presently there is no agreed global reporting format.)
Bryan Camoens:
Given the tremendous use of the airfields throughout the day how do you go about developing effective maintenance planning and scheduling strategies?
Armann Norheim:
One has to use the “windows” available throughout the day. If not practical achievable one has to use the quiet period during night. Work during night might give challenges with respect to quality control of the maintenance work. This should be given extra focus and tools like prequalification, including practice tests on other areas than the runway might be needed. (The maintenance work has to be executed correct once out at the runway.)
Bryan Camoens:
What are some of the yet to be put in place untapped opportunities in airfield engineering and asset management?
Armann Norheim:
I believe that there is a great potential in addressing the quality of the runways and the associated RESAs. Given the international aspect of aviation a cross State database containing the drainage surface characteristics of runways and associated Safety areas (RESA) would be beneficial to regulators, airport owners, aircraft operators and airfield engineers. Such a database would be an important tool for risk analysis studies on the need for improved
drainage and safety areas to be part of the mitigating effort of bringing non compliant runways and safety areas more or in full compliance with international standards and recommendations. I believe that installation of Engineered Materials Arresting Systems (EMAS) will be a central tool for achieving this and will be found to be economical beneficial for many of today’s non-compliant airports.
We would like to thank Bryan for his kind permission to reprint this interview.