Rural air mobility is essential for the remote communities and operations that exist in northern Canada and Alaska. In the same way many rely on highways, these localities depend on gravel runways to deliver necessities like food, pharmaceuticals, medical treatment, and emergency transportation. After decades studying gravel runways and the needs for safe rural air mobility, Midwest developed SECUR®, a …
Water is the Enemy of Gravel Runway Surface Maintenance
Back in May, a Boeing 737-200 made Canadian news after taking its final voyage to Cambridge Bay. What made the plane, nicknamed “Spirit of Yellowknife,” so special was its ability to land on gravel runways. The Canadian North aircraft received modifications from a special Boeing kit to make it compatible with operation on gravel runways while its destination airports remained vigilant about …
SECUR® Your Takeoffs and Landings
Safe gravel runways are the optimal choice for small airports and more remote locations considering they are less expensive than using paved asphalt roads. But even with overall lower costs, maintaining a gravel runway in remote regions that are subject to coarse weather still requires regular upkeep. The repair timeline for any average gravel runway usually involves partial rebuilds every …
How to Reduce Aircraft Damage From Gravel Airstrips
The unexpected cost of operating aircraft on gravel airstrips Remote unpaved runways and their operators face a multitude of unique issues due to the characteristics of the gravel material used, climate and seasonal impacts, geographic location, available resources and equipment and performance requirements. One of the particularly challenging issues is the risk of damage to an aircraft resulting from Foreign Object …
Fugitive Dust Particles May Affect the Impact of Coronavirus Around Unpaved Roads and Areas
Recent studies show that areas with higher pollution levels may be more vulnerable to coronavirus. This is especially relevant if you are responsible for maintaining any kind of unpaved road surface, from mining or industrial haul and access roads to township and county roads, to agricultural or energy farm roads.