FOD News Roundup – July 3rd, 2017

July 3, 2017 by

No, It Doesn’t Help!

Hoping to receive good luck before her flight from Pudong Airport in Shanghai, an elderly passenger attempted to toss nine coins into one of the jet’s engines.

Image credit: China People’s Daily

 

Video: DIY Dust Collection Setup

Looking for ideas? a young craftsperson shows you how he created a comprehensive air-flow system to route wood dust from his workshop to a collection drum.

Image credit: YouTube Screenshot

 

FOD Detection Systems receive boost from FCC

The US Federal Communications Commission has approved an increase in the available bandwidth for vehicle and aircraft radar systems, which can improve the capability of radar-based FOD detection systems at airports.

Image source: Pixabay

 

This Portable Tool Kit Will Never Go Missing!

The UT TREY Small Parts Organizer glows when exposed to black light, making it easier to locate and retrieve before sealing equipment housings, engine compartments or other enclosed spaces.

Image Source: The FOD Control Corporation

Filed Under: Featured News, FOD News

FOD News Roundup – June 3rd, 2017

June 3, 2017 by

European Union: Airlines Exempt From Bird Strike Liability

In a ruling seen as favorable to air carriers, the Court of Justice of the European Union has ruled that bird strikes are “extraordinary events” beyond their control.

Image credit: Bigstock

 

Airports Seek Increase in Passenger Fees

Funding infrastructure improvements costs money that is always in short supply. That’s why airport managers want the federal government to raise the longtime $4.50 cap on the Passenger Facility Charge.

Image credit: Bigstock

 

Repaving a Runway

Want to see how it’s done? Watch this entertaining short video of repaving and other maintenance operations at Bahrain International Airport.

Image source: YouTube Screenshot

 

Shopping for a new FOD Sweeper?

Not sure which type of sweeper would fit your facility’s specific FOD control needs? Just complete our handy Assessment Form and we’ll recommend some equipment for you.

Image Source: The FOD Control Corporation

Filed Under: Featured News, FOD News

FOD News Roundup – May 3rd, 2017

May 3, 2017 by

New FOD Prevention Standard

Need guidance for your facility’s FOD program? The Americas Aerospace Quality Standards Committee (AAQSC) has a new standard, AS 9146, which defines program requirements for organizations that supply aviation, space and defense products and services.

Image credit: Bigstock

 

The Mystery Birds

Accident investigators concluded that last year’s nonfatal crash of a US Air Force B-52 bomber during an aborted takeoff on Guam was caused in part by a bird strike — that may or may not have actually happened.

Image credit: US Air Force

 

Never Lose Track of FOD

Read this interesting report detailing how debris found near a FlyBe Bombardier Q400 parked at Belfast City Airport was dismissed as irrelevant, then disappeared after a smoke incident prompted an evacuation.

Image source: Wikipedia

 

NEW! Floor Marking Tape for FOD-Restricted Areas

FOD Zone™ Marking Tape A long-lasting solution for designating specific zones — such as aisles, walkways, storage rooms, hangars or work flow areas — as sensitive to Foreign Object Debris/Damage.

Image Source: The FOD Control Corporation

Filed Under: Featured News, FOD News

FOD News Roundup – April 3rd, 2017

April 3, 2017 by

Controlling FOD During Air Strikes

The US Air Force is studying ways to harden its overseas air bases against attack by “missile swarms” that can scatter debris across runways and ramps, rendering them inoperable.

Image: SMSgt Keith Reed, US Air Force

 

FOD Awareness (and music, too!)

UPS ramp personnel keep their work areas free of FOD, to the sweet sounds of “Angel (Dusted Remix)” by Sarah McLachlan.

Image: YouTube Screenshot

 

Real-Time Safety Data

The “Internet of Things” can provide industrial facilities with a pathway to high-quality data on safety failures, as they occur.

Image: Bigstock

 

NEW! Floor Marking Tape for FOD-Restricted Areas

Our new FOD Zone™ marking tapes provide a long lasting solution for promoting FOD awareness in hangars, aisles, walkways, and work flow areas in your facility. Contact us for more information.

Image Source: © The FOD Control Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

Filed Under: Featured News, FOD News

FOD News Roundup- March 3rd, 2017

March 3, 2017 by

Is FOD Threatening the US Missile Defense System?

When a test flight went awry, foreign object debris in the thruster’s internal guidance modules was blamed. Now a controversy has arisen over whether or not it will happen again.

Image: US Army

 

Jet vs. Deer

Never put yourself in front of an aircraft in motion. It doesn’t matter if you’re animal or human, you’ll lose the encounter, just as this deer did at Charlotte Douglas International Airport.

Image: skeeze, courtesy of pixabay.com

 

A Well-Timed Pit Stop

That’s how the ground handling manager at Daytona Beach International describes “turning” late-arriving passenger jet between its arrival on the ramp to its next scheduled departure.

Image: © Rusty Clark. Some rights reserved.

 

New FOD-Razor™ Demonstration Video

Watch our new, improved FOD-Razor™Airport Runway Sweeper in action, cleaning debris from an airport AOA quickly and efficiently.

Image Source: © The FOD Control Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

Filed Under: Featured News, FOD News

FOD News Roundup – February 3rd, 2017

February 3, 2017 by

How NOT to De-ice an Aircraft

Passengers aboard a Turkish Airlines jet parked at Sanliurfa Airport couldn’t believe their eyes when a pair of enterprising workers began pouring liquid over an icy wing from a large plastic water bottle — then dropped the bottle.

Image: Twitter (Jan 10) / @U_G_U_R_P.

 

Battling Birds at Dover Air Force Base

From firecrackers to traps to a dog named Memphis, the US Air Force employs numerous methods to control birds, foxes, deer and other wildlife at this critical facility for global airlift missions.

Image: Greg L. Davis, US Air Force.

 

Ramp Inspection on a Rainy Day

Ride along with the dash cam as a patrol vehicle navigates through glistening ramps and falling rain at John F. Kennedy International Airport.

Image: YouTube Screenshot

 

Size Does Matter!

Cut your sweeping time in half and double your equipment’s service life with a FOD-Razor™ Duplex Assembly. You can own this 16-foot-wide runway sweeper for less than $10,000. Learn more…

Image Source: The FOD Control Corporation

Filed Under: Featured News, FOD News

FOD News Roundup – January 3rd, 2017

January 3, 2017 by

FOD Impacts Mars Rover

Suspected debris inside of the spacecraft Curiosity’s rock drill motor is causing intermittent stalling of the device.

Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

 

Military FOD and BASH Management

Watch these clips of military personnel removing debris and firing on birds at an airfield that hosts fighter jets.

Image: YouTube Screenshot

 

Safety Management System Anticipates Airport Issues

The FAA is giving managers at Part 139 airports a lot of leeway in how they implement new SMS regulations.

Image: Federal Aviation Administration

 

Rugged Hazardous Material Storage

Contact us for FOD-fighting tools that will keep your hazmat chemicals, fuels and other substances isolated and secure.

Image Source: The FOD Control Corporation

Filed Under: Featured News, FOD News

FOD News Roundup – December 3rd, 2016

December 3, 2016 by

Aircraft Windshields

Learn how their specialized construction protects pilots from airborne FOD, such as birds, hail, ice and fog.

Image Source: National Transportation Safety Board

 

Birds and More Birds

Over the years, Salt Lake City International Airport has trapped literally thousands of raptors feeding nearby.

 

Time-lapse Video

Watch this American Airlines ramp at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.
Now imagine if your guys could work that fast.

Image Source: YouTube Screenshot

 

Our parts kit glows in the dark

 Never lose track of your small hardware in limited-light work areas; Our “UV Reactive” Trey Small Parts Organizers glow when exposed to UV light.

Image Source: The FOD Control Corporation

Filed Under: Featured News, FOD News

FOD News Roundup – November 3rd, 2016

November 3, 2016 by

Fighter Jet Crash Reveals FOD Problems

Fighter Jet Crash Reveals FOD Problems A US government investigation concluded that a Navy F/A-18F Super Hornet plummeted into the Persian Gulf last year after debris entered one of its engines during takeoff from an aircraft carrier. Then investigators found a second, unrelated source of chronic FOD on the carrier’s runway.

Image: Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Joshua Card, US Navy.

 

Airline Engine Explosion Breaches Housing

When a General Electric CF6 engine on a Boeing 767 failed during takeoff in October, the engine’s housing also failed to contain the explosion, scattering shrapnel as far as a half-mile away. Such an event can increase the danger of collateral damage throughout the airport environment.

Image: Wikipedia, FAA

 

The FOD & Fuel Caddy

The FOD & Fuel Caddy Don’t risk operations safety with an improvised solution! Securely store your waste test fuel and foreign object debris (FOD) on your helicopter landing area or other flight line, until you’re ready to dispose of it permanently.

Image: The FOD Control Corporation

Filed Under: Featured News, FOD News

FOD News Roundup – October 3rd, 2016

October 3, 2016 by

Internal FOD Grounds F-35’s

After a manufacturing glitch, deteriorating tubing insulation clogged up fifteen US and Norwegian FA-15A strike fighters at Luke AFB, as well as dozens of unfinished jets still on the production line.

Image Credit: SrA James Hensley, USAF

 

K-9 Runway Patrol

Watch a trained border collie who wears sunglasses chase birds away from the flight areas at Cherry Capital Airport in Michigan.

Image: Screenshot

 

A Million Drones

How safety regulators, drone operators and other stakeholders are responding to well over 900,000 small unmanned aerial vehicles (SUAV’s) now in the hands of consumers.

Image Credit: Federal Aviation Administration

 

Gowning for Clean Rooms

 Watch this step-by-step procedure for prepping your body and putting on required clothing before entering a sterile clean room.

Image: Screenshot

 

Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) Protection

Insulate your sensitive electronic components from electromagnetic field damage with our new Conductive Trey Small Parts Organizer, utilizing innovative carbon nanotube technology.

Image Credit: The FOD Control Corporation

Filed Under: Featured News, FOD News

FOD News Roundup – September 3rd, 2016

September 3, 2016 by

Wireless Power FOD

Can a stray coin stop your cell phone from charging? Texas Instruments explains how FOD lodged between the transmitter and receptor can prevent wireless devices from receiving an electrical power, in two videos: Wireless Power 101: FOD Introduction and Wireless Power 101: FOD Lab Session.

Image: Texas Instruments (screenshot)

 

Dropped Cell Phone in Cabins

What happens when you let your smartphone fall into your seat mechanism? It isn’t pretty for your phone or aircraft safety. Aerospace manufacturers are getting smart by designing storage spaces for phone owners flying in premium class.

Image Caption: PublicDomainPictures/Pixabay

 

600,000 Drones?

It’s going to get crowded up there. New applications for certification as a commercial drone pilot are pouring in, after the FAA loosened up requirements. As a result, the agency expects that well over a half-million new UAV’s will take to the skies within a year.

Image Caption: Image: A1C Kirby Turbak, US Air Force

 

Helicopter vs. Towel

Yes, you can crash a Huey into a mountainside with a dirty piece of rag. A pilot suffered minor injuries during a logging operation after a towel somehow ingested itself into the inlet guide vanes, according to an NTSP investigation of the 2015 incident.

Image Caption: Image: Tendencia/Pixabay

 

Fuel / Liquid Spill Berms

The FOD Control Corporation now offers custom-designed temporary berms to contain hazardous or environmentally-sensitive spills.

Image Caption: Image: FODControl.com

Filed Under: FOD News

FOD News Roundup – August 3rd, 2016

August 3, 2016 by

FOD Tips from the NTSB

An AA-5B prop plane brought down by paint chips? If you’re an aircraft mechanic, read this Safety Alert from the National Transportation Safety Board. Includes recommended practice for controlling FOD during MRO activities, a collection of failure examples and a list of informative links.

Image: Shop rags in compressor case. Source: NTSB.gov

 

Video: Medical Cleanroom

Take a walk through Brentwood Industry’s 12,000 square foot ISO Class 7 cleanroom at its Reading, Pennsylvania manufacturing plant, with custom thermoforming, injection molding, airlock entrance to maintain air pressurization, dedicated gowning room, and a segregated material loading bay.

Image Source: YouTube (screenshot)

 

 

Wet Pavement Safety

Don’t you just hate it when your airliner skids across a rain-soaked runway and into the nearest control tower? Starting in October, the Federal Aviation Administration will require that federally-obligated airports use the new TALPA procedures to assess the safety of runways that are not dry. Review these online resources for improving air operations during inclement weather.

Image Source: Federal Aviation Administration

 

 

Great Flocks of Drones?

The United Kingdom is confronting a surge in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV’s), which nearly collided with manned aircraft more often in the first six months of 2016 than during all of 2015. British authorities are trying to assess the potential dangers of a drone strike, as compared to the more common bird strike.

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

New! FOD Bags Available Online

OK, you’ve dutifully picked some FOD off the ground. Now what do you do with it? These rugged FOD Bags offer a flexible, portable and lightweight place to store found debris for later disposal.

Image Source: The FOD Control Corporation

Filed Under: FOD News

FOD News Roundup – June 3rd, 2016

June 3, 2016 by

Is the F-18 Safer than the F-35?

The fighter wars are raging again, only this time in the press room instead of the skies. Boeing’s chief F/A-18 Super Hornet test pilot makes his case for the two-engine fighter being less vulnerable to catastrophic FOD incidents than the single-engine F-35 Lightning.

Image credit: Royal Canadian Air Force

 

AI vs. FOD

There’s another player in the global aviation market for FOD detection sensors. ArgosAI Technology, based in Ankara, Turkey, has developed an artificial intelligence system that analyzes images of runway debris, then transmits the data to airport staff for action.

Image © Alper Cuğun. Some rights reserved.

 

Shadowing FOD

QA inspectors at the Shaw Air Force Base’s 20th Fighter Wing do more than just look for debris in their F-16CM Fighting Falcons. They also shadow the aircraft’s maintainers, watching for noncompliant behavior that can lead to unsafe work habits.

Image Credit: A1C Destinee Dougherty, USAF

Video: F-15 Engine

Watch this fascinating video of an Air Force sergeant describing the inner workings and sucking power of an F-15 Eagle engine.

Image credit: Screenshot

 

New FOD Slideshow

Aviation Week’s new photo slideshow on the dangers of FOD features concise information on safety issues and several potential solutions. It also features two of our equipment lines, the FOD-Razor™ Airport Runway Sweeper and the 55-Gallon Drum Conversion kit.

Image credit: The FOD Control Corporation

 

Hazmat Storage

The FOD Control Corporation now supplies hazardous materials storage equipment! From indoor chemical cabinets to outdoor safety lockers to 55-gallon drum sheds, we will keep your facility safe.

Image Credit: The FOD Control Corporation

Filed Under: FOD News

FOD News Roundup – May 3rd, 2016

May 3, 2016 by

Fatal Crash May Have Involved Bird Strike

Investigators have discovered eagle residue on a Cessna 172 that crashed near Birchwood Airport in Alaska, killing the pilot, a retired National Transportation Safety Administration investigator, and three other occupants.

Image Credit:US FWS

 

Video: Ramp Worker Safety

Harrisburg International Airport has a fun 2-plus minute video demonstrating proper ramp procedures for vehicle, baggage and other employees working around commercial aircraft..

Image: Screen shot.

 

Pothole Shuts Down Major Runway

Airlines and their passengers experienced delays of over an hour when an aircraft dislodged chunks from a runway at LaGuardia Airport, creating an opening large enough to fit a person.

Image © Patrick Handigan. Some rights reserved.

 

Ocean Freight Sees Increase in Fuel FOD

Environmental regulations requiring ships to use low-sulphur fuel is damaging their engines. The culprits are tiny metallic particles called “Cat fines” used in the fuel refining process.

Image credit: US EPA

 

NEW! FOD Control Corp. Supplies Hazmat Equipment

Ready to improve your hazardous materials safety program? We are expanding our product catalog with fire-rated outdoor lockers, indoor chemical cabinets, drum sheds, and temporary fuel-spill berms.

Image © Justrite Mfg. Co, LLC. All Rights Reserved..

Filed Under: FOD News

Cost-Effective FOD Control

December 30, 2014 by

Cost EffectiveIt may be the tail end of the holiday season, but don’t expect Santa to shove a wad of extra cash into your airport’s FOD control budget.

While the nation’s aging airport system requires numerous infrastructure upgrades, there’s not a lot of new money coming in. The new Congress is unlikely to increase FAA funding and may even cut it. Efforts to raise the Passenger Facility Charge (PFC) cap have so far proved fruitless. Compared to major airports overseas, the US is falling behind.

When funds are hard to come by, a good FOD program manager learns how to make do.

Maintain your existing equipment as well as you can for as long as you can. Every month that you spend a few hundred dollars to keep that old machine running is another month that you don’t need to shell out many thousands of dollars on a new one. Milk your suppliers for every possible ounce of tech support; they want your business, so let them earn it.

When it does come time to buy new equipment, get proactive and bring up creative financing options. If they want the sale, they will work out with you a mutually-acceptable cash-flow plan. If your facility has always made that extra effort to pay its bills on time, now is when that effort pays off for your program and staff.

Be a smart buyer. Write up a detailed list of desired performance specifications and include it in correspondence, bid solicitations, and contracts. Ask your supplier for their product’s specifications, other facilities where it is currently deployed and, if possible, an on-site field demonstration. The last thing you want to do is purchase a hundred indoor FOD cans and then watch them rot in the outdoor sun.

Is your facility planning a construction project? Most construction contracts require that the contractor keep the work area clean of FOD, so the contractor may have to purchase equipment, such as sweepers and barriers, to fulfill that requirement. Cut a deal with them to transfer ownership of that equipment to you once the project is complete. They recoup a portion of their original purchase costs and you obtain equipment for a portion of its market value.

Do you have a GA airport or other facility with a relatively light surface sweeping program? A secondary market exists for used sweepers, which can save you a considerable sum. Even better, get in touch with suppliers and ask if they have an old demo unit that they would be willing to let go of for a nominal sum. This is a win-win situation—they pick up a few dollars and you pick up some extra hours of sweeping.

Performance incentives to motivate staff to maintain safety standards need not cost and arm and a leg. A logo jacket or a dinner for two goes a long way to show appreciation. One great way to jazz things up is to let the staff select the type of reward, within the budget that you set, before you award it. Remember, you are not rewarding employees for following the rules. You are thanking them for making the personal decision to treat seriously their own safety, as well as the safety of their colleagues and customers.

Filed Under: FOD News
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