I used to post images of FOD walks, but stopped as they were not particularly interesting, but this one caught my eye.

PACIFIC OCEAN (Jan. 3, 2011) – Sailors conduct a foreign object Damage (FOD) walk down after an abandon ship drill aboard the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70). Carl Vinson and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 17 are on a deployment to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class James R. Evans)

Source (Flickr)

An article has appeared on the Whiteman Air Force Base website describing their FOD clean up procedures.

“Since the B-2 is one of the main air frames operating from Whiteman, sharp objects that may pierce a tire is one of our biggest concerns,” said Airman Siemns. “Because of this, we pay close attention when making our passes during FOD walks, as a punctured tire could lead to an aircraft becoming in operational.”

According to Whiteman statistics, 363.1 lbs. of FOD was collected at the end of the May.

Read the full article (Whiteman Air Force Base website)

This article recently appeared at Navy.mil and describes the efforts on board the USS Enterprise to keep the deck FOD free.

By Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Apprentice Jared M. King, USS Enterprise Public Affairs:

USS ENTERPRISE, At Sea (NNS) — The crew of the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65) is working to prevent foreign object damage to aircraft while underway, preparing for its 21st deployment.

Twice daily, all hands are invited to participate in a foreign object debris (FOD) walk-down, to clear the hangar bay and flight deck of any hazardous material. (more…)

U.S. Sailors aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) gather at the bow of the ship for a foreign object debris walk down June 26, 2010, while under way in the Arabian Sea. The Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group is deployed as part of an ongoing rotation of forward-deployed forces to support maritime security operations in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility.

Source: Flickr

Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean, overlooking the Strait of Gibraltar. The territory itself is a peninsula of 2.642 sq mi whose isthmus connects to the north with Spain.

The Google Map below shows the main road from Gibraltar into Spain which crosses the runway, from the map you can also see the pedestrians!

The Gibraltar Chronicle has posted an interesting article that describes the FOD situation, and the efforts required to control it. Read the article here.

View Larger Map

Protecting against the dangers posed by FOD requires a lot of manpower, the following images show a FOD walk on board the USS George Washington, and a FOD borescope inspection on board the USS Harry S. Truman, click on the images for more information.

FOD walk on the USS George Washington

FOD inspection on the USS Harry S. Truman

Click to download HiRes

OK, so a FOD walk is not the most exciting of news, but what I do like about these FOD walk articles is that the US Air Force are not shy about the amount of FOD they find, and in this case it was 186 pounds (84kg) of debris!

“More than 300 individuals participated in the FOD walk,” said Master Sgt. Dennis Harper, 325th Fighter Wing FOD prevention manager.

Overall, 186 pounds of foreign objects were picked up on the flight line.

Visit the Tyndall air Force web site to read the full article.

Staff Sgt. John Petrie, 433rd Maintenance Operation Squadron, Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, stops to pick up a piece of debris from the flightline. Members of the Alamo Wing walk the flightline in a Monday morning ritual searching for foreign object debris. Everyone from Col. Kenneth Lewis, wing commander, to the brand new airman basics participate. The FOD is collected in a bag and properly disposed of. The wing vice commander Col. Dale Andrews, hides a gold-painted bolt somewhere to be found as incentive to be thorough during the DOD walk. Whomever finds the golden bolt wins their 15 minutes of fame and thanks from the roaring jet engines. (U.S. Air Force photo Airman 1st Class Brian McGloin)

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