FINAL (17-Sep-13)

FINDINGS & RECOMMENDATIONS: SUBCOMMITTEE ON AIRPORTS

SUMMER 2013 MEETING

SEPTEMBER 10-11, 2013

FINDINGS & RECOMMENDATIONS

Progress Made on Heated Pavement and Aircraft Braking Friction Studies

Finding 1. The Subcommittee is pleased that FAA has addressed most of the 

recommendations from the Subcommittee’s spring meeting. In particular, we note that 

substantial progress has been made on both RPD 155 (Heated Pavements) and RPD 

147 (Aircraft Braking Friction). The FAA has met project milestones proposed at the 

Spring Meeting and seems on track to meet milestones proposed for next Spring. With 

respect to RPD 147, initial data from dry and wet pavement testing appears promising, 

providing some degree of confidence that it will be possible to collect pavement/tire 

interaction data for snow-contaminated pavements this winter season.

Research on Trapezoidal Grooves Ready to be Translated into Practice

Finding 2: The Subcommittee notes that FAA Office of Airports has not yet taken action 

on the Subcommittee’s recommendation that FAA Office of Airports make necessary 

modifications to its advisory guidance—particularly Advisory Circular 150/5320-12C, 

Measurement, Construction, and Maintenance of Skid-Resistant Airport Pavement 

Surfaces—so that airport operators can utilize trapezoidal grooves to improve runway 

drainage and friction under wet conditions should they desire.

Recommendation 2. The Subcommittee reiterates its recommendation that FAA Office 

of Airports make necessary modifications to its advisory guidance—particularly Advisory 

Circular 150/5320-12C, Measurement, Construction, and Maintenance of Skid-Resistant 

Airport Pavement Surfaces—so that airport operators can utilize trapezoidal grooves to 

improve runway drainage and friction under wet conditions should they desire.

High Strength Concrete Research Should Incorporate Material Properties

Considerations

Finding 3: Regarding RPD138, the Subcommittee appreciates the progress the FAA 

continues to make regarding how use of high strength concrete may affect pavement 

fatigue life. However, the team also notes that constructability, quality, and practicability 

considerations can be significant when high strength concrete is used.

Recommendation 3. The Subcommittee recommends that the RPD138 project team 

include consideration of constructability, quality, and practicability considerations in its 

evaluation of high strength concrete pavements, especially when it comes to the 

development of new or revised design standards for these pavements.

Greater Situational Awareness Needed Among Research Programs when it 

comes to Safety Database Development and Management
FINAL (17-Sep-13)

Finding 4: The Airport Technology Program is currently engaged in the development of 

an airport safety database as part of RPD141. This database fuses information from the 

FAA’s wildlife strike database as well as accident and incident reports from FAA and 

NASA databases. Subcommittee members would like to ensure that this database is 

being developed in coordination with other FAA lines of business, particularly when it 

comes to the use of these databases to drive new standards and advisory guidance.

Recommendation 4: The Subcommittee recommends that the development of 

databases—especially safety databases—be readily available to other research 

programs, particularly those underway within the Aviation Safety and NAS Operations 

portfolios to ensure that other lines of business and research teams are aware of them.

We also suggest that there be some means of coordination among the various FAA

research programs when it comes to the development and use of these databases.

Better Definition is Needed Regarding “Safety Mitigation Plans” to be Developed 

as Part of the Airport Safety Database Project and These Plans Should Be 

Coordinated with Stakeholders Outside of FAA

Finding 5: As part of their briefings on RPD141, the FAA noted that an upcoming task 

will be development of “safety mitigation plans”. However, it was unclear what the 

content of these plans would be. Subcommittee members expressed concern that if 

such plans include airport-specific recommendations—rather than systemic 

recommendations—they must be coordinated with affected airport operators and other 

stakeholders.

Recommendation 5: We recommend that the FAA establish an informal “safety 

working group” similar to the already established “40-year design life working group”, 

which can be used as a sounding board by the FAA regarding the feasibility, 

effectiveness, and priorities of identified mitigation strategies. We also recommend that 

the FAA more clearly define the intent and scope behind the terminology “safety 

mitigation plans”.

The Subcommittee Should be More Involved in the Development and 

Prioritization of New Research Tasks

Finding 6: In recent years, the Subcommittee has not taken a very active role in 

developing and reviewing new or revised research tasks that are undertaken by the 

Airport Technologies Research Program.

Recommendation 6: The Subcommittee recommends that the FAA seek input and 

advice from the Subcommittee when new research requirements are developed. We 

believe that Subcommittee member expertise can help to strengthen and/or focus these 

research requirements and will provide the Subcommittee with improved situational 

awareness regarding new research the FAA is undertaking.
FINAL (17-Sep-13)

FAA Research into Extended Airfield Pavement Life-Cycles Needs to Include 

Consideration of Paving and Subbase Material Characteristics

Finding 7: Regional paving material and subbase characteristics can have a significant 

impact on pavement life and should be considered in the FAA’s “40-year airfield 

pavement project” (RPD146).

Recommendation 7: The Subcommittee recommends that regional paving material

and subbase characteristics and their impacts on pavement design life be explicitly 

addressed in RPD146.