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This video recently appeared on Youtube, posted by Xsight, the company behind the FODetect system. It’s clearly not a real incident, and the video has been made in near perfect conditions (clear weather, daytime etc), and there’s no sound on the video , but it’s still a good demonstration of how the system works.
[This article was updated on 30/05/2012, see below]
Reporternews has more details on the story from last month that the Dyess Air Force Base has been FOD free for more than 1000 days.
Zero damage from foreign objects is practically impossible. Jet engines sucking in massive amounts of air will inevitably ingest something they shouldn’t.
Recognizing this, Air Combat Command decreed a “chargeable” FOD as an event that results in more than $50,000 in damage. It also set an acceptable FOD rate of 1.0, based on the number of chargeable incidents divided by flying hours.
The staff at Dyess should be applauded for their efforts, and although the article does mention the use of the FOD Boss, ,there is no mention at all of automated FOD detection. This is yet more evidence that, for some reason, the automated detection systems are not yet considered to be part of the standard arsenal in the fight against FOD. And with one of the biggest players in this industry, QinetiQ, no longer actively marketing their Tarsier system, it is starting to look like automated FOD detection might not have the future many in the industry had hoped.
Update:
It has been pointed out to me (i.e. I have been corrected) that the previous article covering the same story does indeed mention an automated FOD detection system i.e the FOD Finder from Trex. From the previous article:
“Keeping the flight line clear of FOD is a total team effort,” Smith said. “Things we do to minimize FOD are monthly base-wide FOD walks, handing out awards, such as “FOD Fighter of the Month,” using the FOD BOSS, Sweeper, FOD check points and the FOD Finder Radar Truck.”
Source (Reporternews & Dyess Air Force Base Homepage)
A tyre has burst on a passenger plane landing at Gatwick Airport.
One passenger told the BBC that after making a “nice smooth landing… there was an almighty bang and the plane suddenly lurched to the right”.
The pilot managed to keep control of the aircraft, which had flown from Ukraine, and there were no injuries.
Gatwick Airport said everyone on board the plane had safely disembarked and had been taken on a coach to the South Terminal.
Source (BBC)
Xsight, the Israeli manufacturer of foreign objects detection (FOD) systems, sees air force customers as a big potential market in the coming years.
The company’s FODetect system is already operational at Boston’s Logan airport in the USA, Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi international airport in Thailand, Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, France, and Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport in Israel.
Xsight chief executive Alon Nitzan says indications show that 30% of sales in the coming years will be made to air force customers. “The FOD problem is very acute in a base that operates fighter aircraft, many with one engine,” he says. “The detection of objects on the runway is part of the base’s operational readiness.”
Read the whole story at flightglobal
During Dec 2010 the FAA announced that they would issue a Nationwide Buy American Waiver for the Trex Aviation Systems’ FOD Finder XF* and QinetiQ’s Tarsier FOD System (article). Today it’s the turn of the iFerret system from Stratech. Better late than never I guess.
Stratech’s iFerret™ Granted Buy American Waiver
Singapore, 7 May 2012 – Singapore Exchange Mainboard-listed Stratech Systems today announces that its iFerret™ intelligent Airfield/Runway Surveillance and FOD (Foreign Object & Debris) Detection System has been granted a Buy American Waiver by the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration).
The Buy American Preferences regulations require purchases in AIP (Airport Improvement Program) funded projects to be produced in the U.S. The FAA however has the authority to waive the Buy American Preferences if certain conditions are met.
With the Waiver, iFerret™ is now officially on the FAA’s Buy American Conformance List1. As stated by the FAA, this is a list of equipment that is frequently used on AIP funded projects that meets the Buy American requirements or has been issued a Nationwide Waiver. The Nationwide Waiver will allow iFerret™ to be used on AIP funded projects without having to receive separate waivers for each project. This enables projects to start quickly, while still ensuring the funds used for airport projects are being directed to manufacturers that meet the Buy American requirements.
The AIP2 provides grants to qualifying airports for improvement projects that enhance airport safety, capacity, security and environmental concerns. iFerret™ had recently received FAA approval3, which is another significant development because airports that purchase FOD Detection Systems assessed by the FAA to be compliant with requirements are eligible for AIP grants. This Waiver ensures conformance with the Buy American Preferences—another requirement for AIP grants.
Stratech Executive Chairman, Dr David K.M. Chew, said, “The Buy American Waiver allows iFerret™ a good opportunity to establish itself in the vast U.S. market. This is another important milestone following the recent FAA accreditation.”
Source (Stratech website)
Trex have released a short video which demos their Air Boss system, here’s the blurb and video:
Trex Aviation Systems is now offering the AIR Boss digital airfield inspection and management system. The AIR Boss system comes complete with iPad, AIR Boss software, reporting, training, database service and Trex 365 support. All for a few dollars a day per unit. This system is in service with both commercial and military airfields. AIR Boss includes audio/visual warning system to help prevent runway incursions. Check it out!
Hot on the heels of Tarsier and FOD Finder, the FAA report on iFerret is now available.
Here’s the abstract:
In 2008, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Airport Technology Research and Development Team conducted a performance assessment of the iFerret™, electro-optical, foreign object debris (FOD) detection system. This assessment included the system’s capability to detect objects of various shapes, sizes, and materials at all locations on the runway surface. The system’s capability to detect FOD during both nighttime and daytime conditions, in periods of sun, rain, mist, fog, and snow was also assessed.
A comprehensive performance assessment of the technology was demonstrated at the Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD). Installation of iFerret sensors was completed at ORD in late 2008, and extensive data collection was conducted from June 2009 through July 2010. These were supplemented by an assessment of an iFerret installation at Singapore’s Changi International Airport in May 2009. At the conclusion of the data collection process, the FAA had sufficient data to conclude the performance assessment. The iFerret FOD detection system was able to detect objects of various shapes, sizes, and materials on runway surfaces, taxiways, and aprons and was able to perform satisfactorily in nighttime, daytime, sun, rain, mist, fog, and snow conditions, as required by FAA Advisory Circular 150/5220-24, “Airport Foreign Object Debris (FOD) Detection Equipment.”
Download: Performance Assessment of an Electro-Optical-Based Foreign Object Debris Detection System
The Tarsier FOD detection system has not made it on to this site in over 12 months, so it’s nice to see the system I helped develop get a little attention, but even I’m a little surprised to see that it’s the Olympics that have caused it to pop up in the press. Yes, it appears as though FOD detection systems keep sports fans safe (in addition to “normal” passengers one hopes).
If anyone from Heathrow is reading this, don’t forget that the Tarsier Toolbox can export all the FOD data that’s being collected by the radar, and I’m more than happy to help make it available to the public at FOD-detection.com, it would make for a great article.
Here’s the FOD section of the article:
This equipment relies on clear runways so the signal that guides aircraft isn’t affected, which is where the QinetiQ foreign object debris (FOD) radar system comes in.
The new £2.5 million piece of kit alerts airside operations to any rogue or suspicious item on the runway by scanning the asphalt and comparing a stored image with the result, triggering an alarm if they don’t match.
A high-density infrared camera is then used to zoom in on the suspect area for confirmation.‘FOD radar covers stuff that shouldn’t be there that could be ingested into an aircraft engine with serious consequences,’ Newbold says.
He refers to the Air France Concorde that crashed in Paris after striking a strip of metal.
The system alerts staff to potential risks an average 30 times a day but Newbold adds: ‘Radar is an exact science, so it could just be picking up a bird scratching its backside before flying off again. I’ve had some knickers, pliers, a pair of reading glasses and a fuel cap. I’m yet to find a wing.’
The U.S. Air Force are always happy to report their FOD stats, and this is no exception:
(U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Peter Thompson/ Released)
DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas — The 7th Bomb Wing is in a constant battle to eliminate foreign object debris from the flight line, and is winning, with more than 975 consecutive days of FOD-free incidents.
X-Sight have announced the deployment of their FODetect system to Suvarnabhumi International Airport :
X-Sight Systems FODetect® Automated Foreign Object Debris Detection System has been successfully deployed and handed over to Airports of Thailand at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport (BKK)
Tel Aviv, March, 2012 – X-Sight Systems (Xsight) is proud to announce the handover of the FODetect system to Airports of Thailand (AOT). The system deployment process at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport’s (BKK) two runways lasted five months and was handed over after the system successfully passed a Site Acceptance Tests according to the FAA regulation for FOD detection equipment.
Foreign Object Debris (FOD) refers to any misplaced objects found on airport surfaces that could damage aircrafts, engines, tires or fuselage, presenting a risk to passenger safety, disrupting airport services, and leading to expensive repairs. FODetect is a leading automated FOD detection technology and has been tested by the FAA at Boston’s Logan International airport. FODetect was found to meet or exceed the highest level of performance in every parameter required by FAA regulation.
As Mr. Nutt, the Vice President of Aviation Safety at AOT notes: “Safety and security have and always will be our top priority. We are proud to utilize a cutting edge automated FOD detection technology. BKK will offer its operators, airlines and passengers the ultimate in runway safety”.
Mr. Alon Nitzan President and CEO of X-Sight Systems states: “We are delighted to handover the FODetect system to AOT. By choosing to equip their runways with Xsight’s innovative hybrid sensing solution, BKK has demonstrated a heightened commitment for safety by preventing FOD mishaps. The installed system already detected a hazardous FOD on one of the runways at the airport, which was retrieved immediately and demonstrated the system’s efficiency while contributing to runway safety”.
See the full press release here.
