Category - Runway/Ramp

Repairing and maintaining runways without disrupting flight operations is a universal goal for airport operators. This summer, Yellowknife Airport (YZF), in Canada's Northwest Territories, managed to strip the rubber residue from its main runway and secondary runway in two days-without causing any interruptions to service or using harsh chemicals.

According to popular sentiment, it can be easier to move an entire airport rather than railroad tracks that run through or near it. But Fort Worth Alliance Airport (AFW) managed to move the tracks. And a state road as well.

Aéroports de Montréal recently rehabilitated the primary runway at Montreal-Mirabel International (YMX), one of the three largest aeronautical centers in the world and a major hub for Quebec's economy that serves 24 cargo airlines and a host of corporate and military tenants.

Like many airports, Grand Junction Regional (GJT) performs its airfield repairs late at night and early in the morning to avoid disrupting flight operations. Naturally, this stretches projects across more days because crews work in shorter shifts.

There's more to the new $8 million main runway at Porter County Regional Airport (VPZ) in Valparaiso, IN, than meets the eye. Its point of difference lies beneath the surface in a sub-base built primarily with materials recycled from the previous ailing runway via a process called full-depth reclamation.

With a notoriously vexing airfield configuration, Long Beach Airport (LGB) in southern California is leading the charge for an FAA initiative to reduce runway incursions throughout the United States.

When the main runway at Alaska's Yakutat Airport (YAK) experienced damage from harsh hydrogeological conditions, the state's Department of Transportation and Public Facilities tread carefully when crafting a solution. As owner and operator of the airport, the department knows that any project in the lowlands area around the Gulf of Alaska includes extra hurdles-specifically weather and logistics.

When you hear the phrase "bright lights, big city," Las Vegas may be one of the first places that comes to mind. Effective light management, however, is an exacting science that takes into account many variables such as lumens, energy usage, lamp longevity and even light pollution. All of the above and more came into play when Henderson Executive Airport (HND), located in the very shadow of Vegas' world-famous "strip", expanded its airfield ramp area and installed new lighting during a four-month, $4 million project last fall.

In early 2014, the city of Dallas and Dallas Love Field (DAL) were in a unique and ultimately timely position from operational and funding perspectives alike. The expiration of the Wright Amendment in October 2014 allowed air carriers to modify flight routes out of DAL, thereby increasing air traffic and changing the aircraft types needed to handle traffic. In addition, the upcoming 2017 expiration of the letter of intent associated with the long-running Love Field Modernization Program will make federal discretionary and entitlement dollars available for airfield-related projects that had been deferred because of the modernization program.

Armed with magnifying glasses and kneepads, crews spent the fall of 2014 examining the pavement and paint on every airfield at every public airport in Virginia. In total, they surveyed 62 commercial and general aviation facilities. As a result, airport operators and state officials now have a concrete plan to improve the safety and longevity of their runways, taxiways and aprons.

Sometimes, the phrase "perfect storm" refers to a rare combination of events that leads to disaster. Other times, it describes similarly unusual circumstances that create an amazing outcome. Surprisingly, a recent runway safety area project at Monterey Regional Airport (MRY) met both definitions at various points.

Research that may lead to more widespread use of “green” runway pavement materials is underway at the FAA National Airport Pavement & Materials Research Center, in Egg Harbor Township, NJ. Engineers at the new facility use a custom-designed heavy vehicle simulator to test asphalt and other pavement materials at high tire pressures and temperatures.