Commercial airports very rarely seem to publicise any real data on FOD damage or FOD finds, the Military on the other hand are always keen to report the results of their FOD walks. An article in Aerotech News describes the efforts of the staff at the March Air Reserve Base (map).

During the quarter ending Dec 2010, FOD incidents caused over $21,000 in repair costs to our aircraft here at home station, not to mention, perhaps, some tense moments for our aircrews.

The article goes on to show an image of some damaged fan blades, and to thank those involved in their efforts towards improving air safety.

Your assistance last week is greatly appreciated and has made a difference.  The first photo is of one of the engines on our aircraft that had a recent encounter with foreign objects on takeoff last month.

They found 32 pounds of material during their FOD walk! Check out the article and see the images at aerotechnews.com.

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