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WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT April 2017 airportbusiness 21 ARFF RESPONSE Both a Boeing 757 and multiple ARFF emergency service vehicles have traversed artificial turf installations with no signs of displacement or damage. Studies show artificial aviation turf performs well under a variety of environmental conditions. When exposed to jet blast, UV, wind and rain, the turf did not exhibit indications of deterioration and proved resilient to the passage of operational vehicles. Under both wet and dry conditions, the artificial turf did not exhibit detrimental reduced braking during aircraft or vehicle excursions. In addition to the burrowing tortoises, the Orlando Sanford study included high speed braking under wet and dry conditions. The artificial turf did not display any rutting and showed excellent braking conditions. DESIGN AND TESTING STANDARDS Improving runway safety is a continual effort for those involved in airside operations. In fact, runway safety is identified as a priority safety issue in the ICAO Safety Report 2015, with runway excursions as one of the top concerns. The FAA has undertaken several other studies on the use of artificial turf in airport environments, which have pro- duced effective results. According to FAA Advisory Circular 150/5370-15B, artificial turf is identified for "use in areas adja- cent to certain airfield pavements as an alternate to natural turf or other surface treatments used to stabilize shoulders and safety areas" and "to mitigate localized erosion problems caused by jet blast, storm water runoff and surface damage caused by vehicles." Airside artificial turf systems shall meet a set of criteria and design standards as outlined by the FAA and successfully tested prior to the installation. Tests for jet blast, load bearing capacity, drainage characteristics, skid resistance, flamma- bility, durability and more are all confirmed by third-party reports. Further verification of construction characteristics, such as weight, turf height, turf density, fiber thickness and breaking strength, are carried out via ASTM testing standards. "After installing artificial turf at airports around the world with the first installation occurring over 15 years ago, it is clear that this is a long term solution to eliminate many of the operational issues that plague airports on a daily basis," McSwain, said. Several installation methods can be employed, depend- ing on application, environment, size of installation and its intended use. Glue-down turf applications allow airports to replace painted areas of taxiways or small islands, typically for visual delineation purposes. The artificial turf helps identify non-movement areas and the color won't fade like paint on concrete. Larger synthetic turf applications, such as along the sides of runways, will utilize a prepared base and milling of pavement edge or the installation of a header. Business Takes Off Here • Planned New Terminal Renovation and Expansion Project • Ongoing aerospace business recruitment and expansion • In 2017, adding 3 new nonstop flights to San Diego, San Francisco and Chicago O'Hare complimenting the existing services to Boise, Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Oakland, Phoenix, Portland, Salt Lake City, and Seattle, and as well as, summer seasonal service to Chicago Midway. • Air service provided by Alaska, American, Delta, Southwest and United as well as FedEx and UPS For More Information, Please Visit: SpokaneAirports.net www.aviationpros.com/12232199 Daniel McSwain is general manager of Act Global AvTurf Inc. McSwain has almost 20 years of experience in the aviaƟon industry with 12 of those years being spent in the development, tesƟng, and now implementaƟon of arƟficial turf on airfields around the world. Daniel McSwain, Act Global AvTurf Inc. ABOUT THE AUTHOR