Knowing that late-spring snowstorms can be among the heaviest and hardest to clear, airport operations managers in cold-weather cities like Manchester, NH, and Minneapolis implemented plans to keep their maintenance crews safe while also remaining ready to clear away snow. Thankfully, most of North America was spared significant snowfall for the remainder of the season. The challenge of keeping workers safe increased in late spring as COVID-19 cases rose, but the concern about getting socked with a major snowfall subsided.
Airports throughout the world face many of the same challenges, but Grant County International (MWH) in Moses Lake, WA, recently tackled an unusual airfield issue. It leveled a gradual, but pronounced, hump in the middle of its main runway.
A recent runway resurfacing project at General DeWitt Spain Airport (M01) is proving that sealcoats are not just for maintenance anymore. The general aviation airport, located minutes from downtown Memphis, TN, opted to apply a protective sealcoat over brand new asphalt to help preserve the Airport Authority's investment and increase the life of its new pavement.
Paine Field (PAE), just north of Seattle, saved an estimated quarter of a million dollars and two months of time on recent ramp repairs by suspending commercial passenger flights and closing the terminal to complete the project while traffic was already slow due to COVID-19. The strategy also spared its airlines and passengers the service disruptions such work typically causes.
Despite surprising underground discoveries and a limited construction period due to impending seasonal fog, Sacramento International Airport (SMF) opened its critically important new $30 million concrete runway on time.
There were plenty of factors that could have forced Bismarck Airport (BIS) to shut down while crews replaced its 8,794-foot main runway: an unusually high water table, the diverse needs of five different air carriers and a construction schedule heavily influenced by funding. Despite these challenges and an early winter snowstorm, the North Dakota airport managed to remain open for traffic throughout the $64 million project. When airport officials started planning the project with engineering consultant KLJ, the FAA indicated it would need to deliver funding over three years.
People use the phrase 'Don't paint yourself into a corner' to offer advice about everything from business strategies to personal relationships. It also can apply, somewhat literally, to airports that establish years of fixed budgets for airfield marking projects. Sadly, many end up overspending.
The Sun 'n Fun Aerospace Expo, held at Florida's Lakeland Linder International Airport (LAL), is one of the world's largest aviation events. The popular fly-in and airshow are such a big to-do that the FAA dispatches its most experienced air traffic controllers to manage the 1,200+ daily operations it draws. This would have been the 46th Sun 'n Fun, but like most large events in 2020, it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Central Iowa may not be the first location that springs to mind for cutting-edge technology breakthroughs, but Des Moines International Airport (DSM) is defying that stereotype. The small hub facility is the first U.S. airport using electrically conductive concrete with embedded electrodes to heat airside pavement. Two test slabs installed on DSM's general aviation apron in 2016 are producing promising results.
With winter weather that is beyond unpredictable, Buffalo Niagara International Airport (BUF) needs top-notch expertise and equipment to keep its airfield clear for aircraft operations. 'There's no typical winter here in Buffalo,' says Airfield Superintendent Joe Guarino. 'There's always something different that happens during a snow event.'
Robbie Lambert recalls his flight instructor repeatedly telling him, 'If you can land at Paoli, you can land anywhere.' It was a profound statement coming from an experienced veteran who once worked as a bush pilot in Alaska. 'With practice, Lambert learned to navigate the challenges of Runway 2-20 at Paoli Municipal Airport (I42) in southern Indiana'and now serves as president of the Paoli Board of Aviation Commissioners.
It's common for airports to uncover unexpected challenges such as unmarked utilities, protected wildlife or even buried aircraft and other military surplus during airfield projects. At Ted Stevens Anchorage International (ANC), the ground beneath the airfield literally shook during its recent runway rehabilitation.
