Latest News last updated on May 13th
FODetect (from Xsight) is declared fully operational at Tel-Aviv Ben-Gurion International Airport.
Mr Yair Gannot, Director of Aviation Safety, Israel Airports Authority, commented: “During the system operation and over the past nine months an average of six items per month were collected from the runway. More so, we had no case of FOD found by our manual inspectors that was not earlier detected and visualized by the automated FOD detection system.
Source(AirportsInternational.com)
On April 16th, two crew members were slightly injured after the tail of their aircraft (Aeromexico flight 002 bound for Mexico City, a Boeing 767-283ER) struck the runway when taking off from Barajas airport. After flying for a further 1.5hrs to burn fuel, the aircraft safely returned to Barajas.
20 minutes after the original incident, an Air Europe Airbus suffered a FOD incident, the front tyre was punctured, presumably by remains of the earlier aircraft’s fuselage.
Rather concerning, was the following information (Source: TypicallySpanish)
The air traffic controllers have criticised the Mexican crew for not sounding an alarm, or even not telling Barajas air traffic control that they had hit the runway.
For further information:
And airports think that FOD detection is difficult! (Source: FOD News)
As we all know, detection is only half of the solution, whatever your method of detection, at some point you have to get out there and pick the stuff up. The video below shows the FOD*Boss in action:
It’s great to see that the system also has an iPhone app!
An interesting article discussing Stratech (the makers of iFerret) and their expected revenue over the next FY. Full article here.
Currently, both iFerret and the security monitoring systems are contributing equally to revenue, Chew says, but the iFerret will eventually be far and away the largest contributor. By his reckoning, the market for FOD surveillance systems could be as large as US$51 billion, if just 2% of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) airports implement it. In fact, he is betting that, with the financing packages Stratech is providing, the iFerret will be as common in airports as photocopiers are in offices. â We want iFerret to be as pervasive as the photocopy machine. When it became a leasing business, every office could have a copy machine, he says.
A recent article at Airport World describes Xsight’s bird detection features, read the full article here. Here’s a snippet:
One such system, Xsight Systems’ FODetect, utilises Surface Detection Unit (SDU) sensors located across the airport’s surface for high resolution and swift detection.
Each SDU combines a millimetre-wave radar sensor and an optic sensor with Near Infra-Red (NIR) illumination for improved night performance, and when integrated with an airport’s elevated runway or taxiway edge lighting infrastructure, converts them into smart edge lights which can be used to detect hazardous objects, birds and other wildlife.
The technology allows an entire runway to be scanned between each ground movement and – if required – live video, GPS co-ordinates and a laser pointer can assist airport staff in identifying the location of any FOD or wildlife, allowing for their swift and efficient removal.
All detection data and images and video recordings are archived and tagged, allowing for a comprehensive statistics reporting system, which documents all events.
I apologise, the information below was sent to me a few weeks ago but I have only just got around to including it here (and it’s not because I’ve applied!)
Tender for Contract M860-2- Consultancy Services for Automated Foreign Object Debris Detection System at the Hong Kong International Airport (Tender ref.: PRO/T140/12/MN)
The Airport Authority Hong Kong (“the Authority”) is responsible for the management, operation and maintenance of Hong Kong International Airport (“the Airport”).
The Authority hereby invites tenders from interested organizations with proven experience and capability for consultancy services for Automated Foreign Object Debris Detection System at the Hong Kong International Airport. The Term of the Contract for Design Stage Services is intended to be 150 calendar days. Details of the invitation are spelled out in the Tender Document.
The Tender Document will be available for collection from 2:30 p.m. on 27 December 2012 (Hong Kong time) at the HKIA Tower, Lower Ground Floor, 1 Sky Plaza Road, Hong Kong International Airport, Lantau, Hong Kong. Applicants who wish to tender for the above contract should write a letter on company letterhead, giving contact details for collection of the Tender Document and sendby fax to (852) 2188 7684 for the urgent attention of Mr. Amen Tong, Deputy General Manager, Procurement.
A Tender Briefing is scheduled for 4:00p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on 17 January 2013. Interested applicants are required to register on or before 14 January 2013. Registration details will be provided upon collection of the Tender Document.
Tenders in response to the invitation must be in compliance with the requirements set out in the Tender Document and be submitted and deposited into the Authority’s Tender Box as per the instructions set out in the Tender Document, no later than 2:30 p.m. on 19 February 2013 (Hong Kong time).
All costs and expenses incurred for or in connection with any response to this invitation, including the preparation and/ or submission of the tender, shall be entirely the responsibility of the applicants without recourse to the Authority. The Authority is not bound to accept the lowest tender or any tender and reserves the right to negotiate with any Tenderer.
Singapore Exchange Mainboard-listed Stratech Systems Limited has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Modern Times Technical Systems (MTTS) to market, sell, implement and support Stratech’s iFerret™ intelligent Airfield/Runway Surveillance and Foreign Object & Debris (FOD) Detection System to the international airports in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
See the full press release here.
