380AEW Article

Airmen expand capability - make runways safer

Published April 28, 2013
By Tech. Sgt. Christina M. Styer
380th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

SOUTHWEST ASIA -- Air Force pilots accept the risks they take while flying combat missions throughout the area of responsibility, but once the tires reach the runway they expect a safe landing.

There are many unavoidable factors that complicate landing an aircraft at speeds of up to 140 miles per hour such as reduced visibility due to dust and haze, crosswinds and a congested air pattern.

A slippery runway is one factor that can be avoided.

Airmen from the 577th Expeditionary Prime Beef Squadron tested the Air Force's rubber removal capabilities Mar. 29 at an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia.

Repeated landings and takeoffs causes airplane tire rubber to accumulate on runways, which reduce the friction needed to stop and can lead to dangerous landing conditions.

"Rubber build-ups can lead to decreased breaking effectiveness, cause directional control problems and increased landing distances," said Maj. Ryan Corrigan, 380th Air Expeditionary Wing flight safety chief and F-15 Eagle pilot deployed from Kadena Air Base, Japan. "Removing the rubber gives me a consistent landing environment where I don't have to worry about directional control or breaking effectiveness issues."

Runway rubber removal is traditionally performed by contractors, which can be costly and challenging in austere locations in the AOR.

"Local expertise is generally not available in austere locations so contractors are brought in from other regions, increasing costs," explained Capt. Suzanne Jumper, Air Forces Central Command Installations and Mission Support operations support.

These challenges have led the Air Force Civil Engineer Center and the Air Force Research Laboratory to find ways to supplement the current processes in order to maximize capabilities in the AOR.

Equipment was acquired, materials were attained, training was conducted and an expeditionary team capable of forward deploying to airfields in Afghanistan was formed to accomplish rubber removal operations.

All that was left was choosing a location to test the concept.

"The 380th Air Expeditionary Wing was selected as the team's Proof of Principle and was the first time Airmen have performed this process for an active runway in the AOR to prove they were capable of handling future tasks," Jumper said. "The test was successful and paved the way for future rubber removal projects at other airfields."

The 577 EPBS team tested two different commonly used rubber removal methods - detergent and ultra-high pressure water (UHPW).

The detergent method, used here, takes four to six hours. A detergent, Avion 50, is sprayed on the runway, allowed to set for 30 minutes, removed by a sweeper for two-and-a-half hours to agitate the formula, and then washed off.

"The UHPW system is a much more complicated and technical system," explained Jumper. "Using the detergent is simpler and cleans four-to-five more square footage of rubber per hour than the UHPW system."

In two days, Airmen removed rubber on a 130,000 square foot area of flightline, not only proving Airmen can accomplish the task but also making the runway a safer place for pilots to land.