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RAMP SAFETY 20 GROUND SUPPORT WORLDWIDE • APRIL 2014 "Using technology to fnd and remove potentially damaging objects on the airfeld takes safety up another notch at Boston Logan," said Christa Fornarotta, FAA associate administrator for airports, when the project was unveiled. "Mass- port has a long history of investing in cutting-edge technology and working with the FAA on important airport safety initiatives." THE CASE FOR AUTOMATION Currently, the FAA requires airports to manually check their runways, taxiways and aprons at least once every 24 hours. But this is a regulation set decades ago when air traffc volumes were far smaller than they are today, according to Fux. Airports traditionally use vehicles to scan pavement and rely on sweepers, vacuums and magnetic bars to clear the debris. Massport currently performs such checks three times a day, and will con- tinue to do so even with the automated technology in place. A manual inspection system works re- markably well, but it is subject to human error. "An automated runway inspection by machine can do a better job than a human," Fux says. "There may be hun- dreds of takeoffs and land- ings in between every man- ual inspection. An automated system scans continuously." Boston Logan's automated FODetect system features 68 sensors, mounted on runway light fxtures every 200 feet, which continuously scan 180 degrees along the length of the runway, looking for de- bris that might include things like dislodged airplane parts, chunks of asphalt, metal shards, bolts, rocks and more. The system utilizes an integrated optic sensor with NIR illumination and millimeter-wave radar sens- ing technology to detect the smallest FOD and birds. The technology is supported by the company's proprietary image processing software, and the system's Surface Detection Units include a powerful local processing unit connected to the system server and operator interface, making it possible to scan runway surfaces in under a minute. When the system spots an object—even one as small as a rivet, it activates an audio-visual alarm in the airport's control tower and sends live video feeds and GPS coordinates for the object to appropriate airport personnel, who evaluate whether the debris must be removed. An operator views the live video of the detected ob- ject and receives physical data (size and location) to help him determine whether to take action in compliance with FAA AC 150/5210-24 Chapter 6. "The system's FOD visualization and interrogation capabilities assist the op- erator in identifying the FOD, its location and its size to minimize false alarms," Fux says. "And if the FOD is determined a danger, operators can then use its GPS location, blinking closest edge light, and its number and laser line marker to pin- point the FOD and quickly retrieve it." FODetect is remarkably accurate, ac- cording to Fux. "The distance from the sensor to the area being scanned is up to 100 feet," he says. "It's a very close distance, allowing the operator to zoom in to obtain a clear image of what's going on." He explains that if the sensors were located further away, both inclement weather conditions and objects would stand between the sensor and the pave- ment being scanned. "Because we're co-located with the runway edge lights, there is nothing between the sensors and the runway," he says. "We have a very clear view that gives us the best conditions possible to monitor the runway." In evaluations with the FAA, Fux says the system was able to locate even the smallest of screws. But airports can set thresholds at levels that work for them. "It's based on a risk analysis perspective, based on what they want to react to, bal- anced by the need to close the runway when they react to something," Fux says. "The system is confgurable in a way that Mini Buyer's Guide To date, four manufacturers have developed automated FOD products: • www.xsightsys.com Boston, MA-based XSight's product is FO- Detect, and the system uses small detection units that contain both radar and camera units mounted near the runway edge. The units scan the area and send an alarm message to the operator when FOD has been located. It also sends a video image to easily retrieve the debris. • www.trexenterprises.com San Diego, CA-based Trex Enterprise's FODFinder is a mobile detection system that can be mounted to the roof of a vehicle. The system provides a radar and video image of the debris and once retrieved takes a photograph of the item and assigns a barcode for inventory purposes. • www.tarsier.qinetiq.com UK-based QinetiQ's Tarsier Radar uses tower-mounted radar units that continuous- ly scan pavement services and alarm and send a message identifying the location of the FOD. • www.stratechsystems.com Singapore-based Stratech's iFerret system uses a high-resolution camera to scan the runway. The software adapts to changing lighting and surface conditions and sends an alarm signal when debris is found. — Courtesy of FAA Fact Sheet–Foreign Object Debris (FOD) "Using technology to fnd and remove potentially damag- ing objects on the airfeld takes safety up another notch at Boston Logan." Christa Fornarotta, associate administrator for airports, FAA gsm_19-21_RampSafety_V3.indd 20 4/9/14 3:53 PM