A start up established by an IAF reserve combat pilot has brought an ~eighty percent decrease of FOD (Foreign Object Damage) in the engines of the „Nevatim” Airbases aircraft, damage which could potentially endanger lives and IAF assets
Amongst every aircrew and ground crew member in the IAF, FOD’s (Foreign Objet Damage) are known as a serious nuisance that could potentially endanger lives and IAF assets. An FOD is the entrance of foreign objects into the aircraft engines on the runway or in the air that damage the usability of the aircraft and are a financial burden.
The creative solution for this problem came from a former fighter pilot that established a start-up company with the purpose of ending the phenomenon. Major (Res.) I’s (a reserve fighter pilot in the „Bat” Squadron) start-up includes blockades installed on both sides of the take-off, landing and taxi runways in order to prevent the leakage of rocks and other objects onto the runway. Following the installation of the blockades in „Nevatim” Airbase, there has been an ~eighty percent decrease in the rate of FOD’s in the blockaded runways.
There is No Wiser than the Experienced
The invention was formulated by Major (Res.) I, following an incident in which he experienced entrance of rocks into an F-16I that he flew in his service. „The FOD damages are large and expensive, following much thought I understood that the solution was simple and practical”, shares Major (Res.) I, that following the incident established the company Airvrix, which develops the blockades. „Most of the solutions offered today for FOD’s are for discovery of the objects on the runway and not prevention. Our product is nearly the only product in the world that prevents FOD’s with a cheap and quick technique, and offers a solution in perimeters never seen before”.
Simple, Cheap and Quick
So far, blockades were installed on runways in the „Ramon”, „Nevatim” and „Hatzerim” Airbases. The largest decrease in engine damage was noted in the „Nevatim” Airbase, on the most problematic runways. This success has piqued the interest of additional IAF airbases and foreign countries, Australia between them.
„The installation of the blockades will save the IAF millions of NIS a year”, explains Major (Res.) I. „What differentiates these blockades is their elasticity, which enables them to 'collapse' in the event of an aircraft’s deviation from the runway. Additionally, they do not restrict the ability to clean the runway, they are very resilient in any kind of weather and require very little maintenance”.
Source: IAF
Author: Talya Yariv & Eilon Tohar | Translation: Ohad Zeltzer Zubida
Photo: IAF