1. Airport Safety Technology R&D
Automated Foreign Object Debris (FOD) Detection Research
FAA Eastern Region Airport Conference, Hershey, PA
Jim Patterson, Jr.
March 2, 2011

2. Airport Safety R&D Airport Technology R&D Branch (Team)
Airport Pavement R&D Section (Subteam)
Airport Safety Technology R&D Section (Subteam)
Airport Rescue and Fire Fighting
Wildlife
Surface Traction
Visual Guidance
Operation of NLA
Airport Design

3. Automated FOD Detection Why is the FAA Interested?
-Concorde crash preliminary report
“It has become clearer that this was a unique accident caused by a one-off chance of a piece of metal lying on the runway“.      

4. Automated FOD Detection
Aug 20, 2007 China Air – Fuel tank punctured by bolt from slat.

5. Automated FOD Detection
Impact of FOD:
- Estimated that FOD costs aerospace industry
over $4 Billion dollars a year.
Airlines/Operators/Military budget money for expected FOD damage.
It is a ‘cost of doing business’.

6. Automated FOD Detection
FOD Detection Concept:
Could technology be used to automatically detect FOD?
Could the airport operator be alerted quickly?
Could we ultimately prevent another Concorde incident?

7. Automated FOD Detection FAA Goal
Develop performance standards for Automated FOD Detection Systems.
Publish Technical Notes documenting research.
Develop FAA Advisory Circular specifically for FOD Detection Systems.
Enable civil airports an opportunity to apply for Federal funding (AIP) to procure systems.

8. Automated FOD Detection Available Technologies:
QinetiQ – Tarsier Radar – Providence, RI (PVD)
Millimeter Wave Radar
Mounted on Rigid Towers
X-Sight – FODetect – Boston Logan (BOS)
High Resolution Camera and Millimeter Wave Radar
Mounted on Airport Lighting Fixtures
Stratech – iFerret – Chicago O’Hare (ORD)
High Resolution Camera
Trex Enterprises – FOD Finder – Chicago O’Hare (ORD)
Millimeter Wave Radar and Infrared Cameras
Mounted on roof of Airport Vehicle

9. Automated FOD Detection
QinetiQ – Tarsier Radar, Providence, RI

10. Automated FOD Detection
QinetiQ – Tarsier Radar, Providence, RI

11. Tarsier Camera Installations
Vancouver International
Canada
London Heathrow UK
RAF Boscombe Down UK

12. Tarsier Camera in operation

13. Tarsier Camera in operation

14. Automated FOD Detection
XSight – FODetect, Boston Logan (BOS)

15. Location of Sensors
Trailer 15

16. Xsight BOS Testing 16

17. XSight

18. Stratech
Stratech – iFerret, installed at
Chicago O’Hare (ORD)

19. Stratech

20. Stratech

21. Stratech
iFerret location at Chicago O’Hare (ORD)

22. Stratech

23. Stratech

24. Stratech

25. Stratech

26. Stratech

27. Stratech

28. Stratech

29. Stratech

30. Stratech

31. Trex FOD Finder

32. FOD Finder Radar/Optics Configuration
Optical tracking & ID system
Features
Millimeter Wave Radar
Multi-axis IR/video sensor tracking ball
Relocate to alternate vehicles quickly
Mount to any flat surface

33. FOD Finder CONOPS Low-cost, High efficiency Solution! Radar sweep
600 Feet wide
Single Pass
Cover full width of runway
Cover approaching taxiways/high speed turnoffs
Low-cost, High efficiency Solution!

34. Trex FOD Finder

35. User view showing detected FOD items and sweep line.
Trex FOD Finder
User view showing detected FOD items and sweep line.

36. Trex FODFinder

37. Trex FODFinder

38. Detection Capability Testing

39. Detection Capability Testing Known Location- Unknown Items
Standard objects used in standard grids of approximately equal spacing down the runway
Each object in grid was placed randomly
Repetition of this experiment will build a statistical basis for what the radar will detect

40. Blind Testing Unknown position – Unknown Items

41. Detection Capability Testing

42. FOD Found at PVD!

43. FOD Found at ORD!

44. Example FOD finds by the QinetiQ system – Vancouver, BC

45. Status of Research New AC AC150/5220-24, dated 9/30/09
Covers different types of
systems that were evaluated.
Gives airports guidance on
selecting systems.
Allows airports to apply for
federal funding to procure the
systems.

46. Status of Research New AC AC150/5380-5C, June 2010
Provides guidance for
developing and managing
an airport foreign object debris
program.
Replaces AC 150/5380-5B,
Debris Hazards at Civil Airports.

47. Other FOD Research Increased interest/awareness of FOD!
Creation of national FOD database.
Integration of FOD information into cockpit – in support of NextGen.
Continued monitoring of other FOD related devices, programs, and studies.
Fod Boss

48. Automated FOD Detection
QinetiQ Tarsier Radar
XSight FODetect
Stratech iFerret
Trex Enterprises FOD Finder

49. Airport Safety R&D FAA William J. Hughes Technical Center
Airport Safety Technology R&D Sub Team
AJP-6311, Building 296
Atlantic City International Airport, NJ 08405