The Royal Air Force has contracted ClickAirport to introduce its Activity Manager Suite and associated advisory services into their fight to reduce the amount of Foreign Object Damage (FOD) to front line strike attack aircraft. Under the initiative "Managing Airfields Better", there will be an initial 12 month trial to assess the current hazard and mitigation duties at RAF Leuchars and Lossiemouth.
The system is primarily being deployed to support aerodrome inspection duties, capture bird hazard observation data and assist in the assessment of engine rejections. A road map is being built for delivery of support for other duties and roll out across the RAF's aerodromes on successful completion of the trial.
FOD can kill. FOD has resulted in the loss of both military and civilian aircraft. The most graphic example of the effects of FOD is the Concorde accident at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport on 25 July 2000 with the loss of 113 lives. More broadly, FOD costs the RAF considerable amounts of money and results in wasted maintenance hours, a loss of aircraft availability and a reduction in military capability.
Flight Lieutenant John Franklin, the MOD's FOD prevention officer says, "The military have taken large steps forward in building awareness of FOD and we're now looking at all opportunities, including learning where we can from civilian airports, to take our FOD prevention to the next level. ClickaAirport will be key to measuring the results of our initiatives over the years to come".
David Townend, Managing Director of ClickAirport observes, "ClickAirport have been working with leading civilian airports for over three years to find ways of using modern mobile computing techniques to more effectively manage safety. We are delighted that the RAF consider it their priority to take on board these lessons by making such a large commitment to improving aerodrome management".