Category - Runway/Ramp

DeWitt Spain Airport Applies Sealcoat to Preserve New Runway Asphalt

DeWitt Spain Airport Applies Sealcoat to Preserve New Runway Asphalt
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.

Grant County Int’l Flattens Hump in Runway

Grant County Int’l Flattens Hump in Runway
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.

Collaboration, Flexibility Help Sacramento Int’l Meet Critical Deadline to Reopen Key Runway

Collaboration, Flexibility Help Sacramento Int’l Meet Critical Deadline to Reopen Key Runway
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.

Paine Field Saves Time & Money by Fast-Tracking Ramp Repairs

Paine Field Saves Time & Money by Fast-Tracking Ramp Repairs
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.

Paoli Municipal Makes Significant Improvements to Its Sole Runway

Paoli Municipal Makes Significant Improvements to Its Sole Runway
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.

Buffalo Niagara Int’l Knows Snow

Buffalo Niagara Int’l Knows Snow
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.”

Test Slabs at Des Moines Int’l Bode Well for Electrically Heated Airside Pavement

Test Slabs at Des Moines Int’l Bode Well for Electrically Heated Airside Pavement
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.

Facing a Tight Deadline, Lakeland Linder Achieves What Some Thought Impossible

Facing a Tight Deadline, Lakeland Linder Achieves What Some Thought Impossible
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.

Nashville Int’l Cuts Costs for Airfield Markings With New Inspection & Maintenance Strategy

Nashville Int’l Cuts Costs for Airfield Markings With New Inspection & Maintenance Strategy
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.

Bismarck Airport Maintains Operations During Runway Replacement Project

Bismarck Airport Maintains Operations During Runway Replacement Project
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.

Runway Rehab Allows Anchorage Int’l to Accommodate Largest Cargo Jets

Runway Rehab Allows Anchorage Int’l to Accommodate Largest Cargo Jets
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.

Duluth Int’l Reconstructs Main Runway

Duluth Int’l Reconstructs Main Runway
Tom Werner, executive director at Duluth International (DLH), is currently celebrating two big milestones: his 20th year working at the northern Minnesota airport and the recent full-length, full-depth reconstruction of its 10,150-foot main runway. As Werner describes it, the $38 million project spanned five calendar years and completely restored the airport’s very backbone.

Dallas Fort Worth Int’l Hosts Runway Repair Training

Dallas Fort Worth Int’l Hosts Runway Repair Training
Earlier this year, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) partnered with one of its long-time vendors to provide two days of airfield pavement and joint repair training at the airport. About 30 DFW pavement maintenance workers and in-house quality control/quality assurance personnel attended the first full-day session on Jan. 29. The following day, members of its Design Code and Construction staff joined contractors from around the country for similar training.

New Runway at Pullman-Moscow Regional Required Perseverance & Broad Cooperation

New Runway at Pullman-Moscow Regional Required Perseverance & Broad Cooperation
When Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport (PUW) in Pullman, WA, cut the ribbon on its new $154 million runway last October, officials celebrated much more than a major capital improvement. They celebrated one of the last steps in a complicated venture that spanned more than 10 years and required cooperation among a long list of key stakeholders.

Runway Rebuild at St. George Regional Requires Airport Closure & Massive Excavation

Runway Rebuild at St. George Regional Requires Airport Closure & Massive Excavation
The newly rebuilt runway at St. George Regional Airport (SGU) doesn’t look at all unusual. But its routine appearance belies what’s hidden below: a clever feat of engineering and earthwork designed to stop the pavement heaving that doomed the original runway.

Fort Lauderdale Int’l Makes the Most of 120-day Runway Closure

Fort Lauderdale Int’l Makes the Most of 120-day Runway Closure
Last summer was all about opportunity for Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) in Florida. Its primary runway, 10L-28R, needed to close for 120 days while crews performed a complete rehabilitation; so management took the opportunity to improve several other airfield assets as well.

Island Location Complicates Runway Project at Martha’s Vineyard Airport

Island Location Complicates Runway Project at Martha’s Vineyard Airport
In spring, Martha’s Vineyard Airport (MVY) completed a $10.5 million reconstruction of its main runway two days early. Racing against time, crews laid asphalt daily—sometimes seven days a week—from late March until May 13. JetBlue Airways resumed its seasonal flights on May 17.

Yeager Airport Rebuilds Runway Safety Area After 2015 Landslide

Yeager Airport Rebuilds Runway Safety Area After 2015 Landslide
Four years of passionate perseverance, determination and hard work paid off on July 19, when Yeager Airport (CRW) finished the $25 million reconstruction of its runway safety area. Completing the project was an important milestone as the West Virginia airport continues to recover after a massive airfield landside that occurred on March 12, 2015.

San Diego Int’l Rehabs Sole Runway 2,200 Feet at a Time

San Diego Int’l Rehabs Sole Runway 2,200 Feet at a Time
As the busiest single-runway airport in North America, San Diego International (SAN) must plan and execute any airfield work with precision and efficiency. The recent full-length rehabilitation of its 9,401-foot runway was an especially critical project.

Page Field Upgrades Runways & Taxiways, Adds Energy-Efficient Airfield Lighting

Page Field Upgrades Runways & Taxiways, Adds Energy-Efficient Airfield Lighting
There’s never a good time to close runways and taxiways for rehab work. But thanks to an intense coordination effort, Page Field (FMY) in Fort Myers, FL, completed a nearly $30 million airfield project last year with minimal disruptions to flight operations. Crews repaved the airport’s two runways, upgraded several taxiways and installed a new airfield lighting system in 19 months, despite imposing weather challenges that included Hurricane Irma in September 2017.

Dallas Fort Worth Int’l Rehabs Primary Arrivals Runway With Asphalt Overlay

Dallas Fort Worth Int’l Rehabs Primary Arrivals Runway With Asphalt Overlay
After nearly 35 years of service and approximately 650,000 arrivals and departures, the primary arrivals runway at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) was due for a significant facelift. The $135 million project that provided it was the first full runway rehabilitation effort since the airport opened in 1974—and its first asphalt overlay.

Norfolk Int’l Completes Nail-Biter Runway Rehab

Norfolk Int’l Completes Nail-Biter Runway Rehab
The first phase of a multi-part runway rehabilitation project was completed at Norfolk International Airport (ORF) last fall. The $15 million project was closely monitored by many, including commercial and cargo airlines that depend on the Virginia airport every day. vIn early August 2018, it closed Runway 5-23, and 178 workers and 76 pieces of equipment got to work.

New Arrestor Bed at DeKalb-Peachtree Signals Industry Change

New Arrestor Bed at DeKalb-Peachtree Signals Industry Change
The recently completed engineered materials arresting system (EMAS) at DeKalb-Peachtree Airport (PDK) is significant because it provides Atlanta’s primary airport for business aircraft with an FAA-compliant runway safety zone. As one of the last U.S. installations by the system manufacturer, the project also has industrywide implications.

Colorado Aeronautics Division Makes Pavement Preservation a Priority

Colorado Aeronautics Division Makes Pavement Preservation a Priority
When it comes to runway renovations and other projects, officials at general aviation airports in Colorado are especially fortunate, because the state regularly offers proactive financial and technical assistance. The Division of Aeronautics, a branch of the Colorado Department of Transportation, makes resources available to many of the state’s 74 public use airports.

Long Beach Airport Reconstructs Busiest Runway

Long Beach Airport Reconstructs Busiest Runway
Closing the most-used runway at one of the busiest airports in southern California requires a great deal of advance planning, teamwork and coordination. That was the challenge facing Jess Romo, airport director at Long Beach Airport (LGB), for the first nine months of 2018.

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Publisher's Blog

Mission Accomplished
Planning for March/April’s issue started last fall, and many stories were assigned around Thanksgiving.
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Industry Insider

Addressing Airport Cybersecurity and Technology Resiliency Just Became More Urgent
Bad actors have the motivation and means to knock airport operations offline.
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Flight 123 on UtopiAir Now Boarding for Shangri-La - Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS)
Flight 123 on UtopiAir Now Boarding for Shangri-La - Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS)
The magic of air travel is alive and well at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) in Texas.
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