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©2014 Hyacinth Baltazar Pearson A O A 32 airportbusiness May 2015 Runway safety areas have turned a shade of green. The first environmentally friendly, FAA-approved, RSA arrestor bed has been installed at Chicago's Midway International Airport. This is the year for Runway Safety Areas (RSAs). By the end of 2015, the FAA has set a goal to improve these features at all com- mercial service airports. All must comply with the RSA standards which state that a paved or grass 1,000-foot setback or instead, an arrestor bed, must be in place to stop overrun airplanes. The FAA has been researching this issue since the 1990s and with a group effort of private and public sectors, developed the Engineered Material Arresting System (EMAS). It uses crushable material at the end of the runway to stop airplanes in their tracks at 80 mph. Today, there are two approved EMAS systems and one of them brings a shade of green to RSAs. "With the certification of Runway Safe, airport directors now have the opportunity to choose the best product for the needs of their facilities, as well as incorporating sus- tainable elements, such as recycled glass," says Karen Pride, director of Media Relations for the Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA). "The product is also cost efficient and durable, with ease of installment and replacement." MIDWAY MAKES ITS MOVE A total of 51 airports do have arrestor beds in places where RSAs are not possible because of space constraints. The FAA says that since 1999, nine planes have been stopped with EMAS systems. "Airports have the problem of encroaching civilization around them," says Kirk Marchand, CEO of Runway Safe LLC, the U.S. entity of the company. "You build an airport, some runways and Runway Safety Areas Turn a Shade of Green By Jen Bradley E ar th Day has come and gone once more, but green is here to stay. The first environmentally friendly, FAA-approved, RSA arrestor bed has been installed at Chicago's Midway International Airport