Evolution of an Issue

Three years ago, we brought you our very first Runway & Ramp Special Edition. It seemed like a logical decision. We were already running multiple airfield articles in many issues, and we still had a growing backlog of excellent leads. Plus, more and more suppliers and consultants focusing on runway and ramp work were advertising, and conferences like Snow Symposium, SWIFT, IES and FOD were regular stops for magazine staff.

When planning this year's special runway and ramp issue, everything seemed to be running according to the plans established for the first two. Airfield lighting story? Check. Runway safety areas? Check. With articles addressing the latest improvements in pavement, fueling systems, winter ops, friction testing and more, we had all of the areas airport folks tell us they're looking for.

That's just when opportunity knocked and change rolled in.

One of the real surprises had to do with grass. Why in the world would we talk about grass in an airfield edition? Come to find out, there are special species of grass specifically engineered to address airfield challenges, including wildlife hazards and mowing. Erie International found one and we've discovered two others since attending the ACI-NA/World conference in Calgary.

Another evolution this year was the large number of projects that are as much about technology and computers as concrete and asphalt. Sure, we run IT articles in every regular issue, but it was surprising to see how many airfield projects had pivotal technology components. Safety management systems, eALPs  and the integration of friction testing, deicing efforts and runway condition reporting are all IT centric.

Perhaps next year we should create a special IT issue.
 
Cheers,

Paul