The particular challenge of winter
conditions -- ice and snow -- and
their effects on runway friction, led to a
multi-year collaborative project by
Transport Canada, the U.S. Federal
Aviation Administration, NASA and
ASTM International called the Joint
Winter Runway Friction Measurement
Program. Numerous North American
and European government and indus-
try groups participated in the work,
and thousands of tests using several
types of equipment and procedures
led to methodology to harmonize
results. ASTM E2100, Practice for
Calculating the International Runway
Friction Index, provides a tool for
airport operators and the aviation
community to help evaluate runway
conditions.
Henry says, "The use of different types
of measuring equipment has caused
confusion. This is particularly true in
the reporting of runway conditions
since the numbers from different
devices used at airports do not have
the same scale. The international
runway friction index is an attempt to
harmonize the reporting."
For summer maintenance evalua-
tions, airport operators can use
E2666, Practice for Correlations of Mu
Values of Continuous Friction
M e a s u r e m e n t
E q u i p m e n t
t o
Determine Maintenance Levels for
Use at Airports, which provides a
personnel operating various continu-
organizations now focuses on
unified friction level index to harmo-
ous friction measurement equipment
W K 5 7 1 0 ,
G u i d e
f o r
F r i c t i o n
nize device output and thus better
to ensure that operators have the
M e a s u r e m e n t s
o f
A e r o d r o m e
understanding by users.
information needed for runway main-
Runways, which outlines continuous
tenance.
measurement procedures used to
Yager says that E2666 was simply
assess runways that are new, resur-
another step in E17's runway friction
E17's ongoing work on standards to
faced or surface treated and may or
standards work. He adds that the FAA
be used by the air transport industry,
may not have rubber or weather-
requested procedures for airport
government agencies and aviation
produced contaminants on them.
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