RunwaySense is a collaborative web-based platform where airspace users share runway condition reports in real-time to enhance the runway condition awareness, and to allow the airport to anticipate and mitigate slippery conditions. RunwaySense uses unique data from A320 and A330 family aircraft provided by the Braking Action Computation Function “BACF” to accurately report the condition of the runway it has just landed on against the FAA’s Take-off and Landing Performance Assessment (TALPA) Runway Condition Assessment Matrix (RCAM). RunwaySense data is compliant with the ICAO Global Reporting Format “GRF” which came into effect on November 4, 2021.
Key figures:
- More than 1,600 aircraft committed to install BACF
- More than 640,000 landings of BACF equipped aircraft since 2019
- More than 20,000 BACF-ACARS messages received per month
- More than 20 airports have already subscribed to the RunwaySense Service
November highlights:
In November 2021, more than 21,900 BACF reports were collected at 490 different airports:
- Under certain weather conditions, we observed a high emission rate of BACF reports: BACF reports were sometimes generated every 5 to 10 minutes at a single airport. Up to 78 BACF reports were received at a single airport on a single day and among all airports where BACF reports are generated, there were more than 100 cases where more than 20 BACF reports were generated at a single airport on a single day. The frequency of reception of BACF reports is an important factor which, when high, guarantees that the airport gets a constant and real time flow of information regarding the braking action on the runway.
- The length of measurement associated with a single landing was up to 1,400 meters.
- More than 580 reports of a “Good to medium” or worse braking action were collected
By crossing BACF reports with METAR data we observed correlations between a degradation of the braking action reported by BACF and heavy intensity snow or thunderstorms with rain episodes for example.
The above screenshot shows an example of data that were collected at a given airport.
There is a strong link to the fleet equipped and the ACARS messages received:
Invitation to trial:
NAVBLUE is pleased to invite you to a 1-week trial from January 17th, 2022 to January 21st, 2022. During the trial you will learn more about the RunwaySense and how it can assist airports in monitoring runway conditions and targeting their runway clearing activities. If you are interested in participating in this trial, please fill in the Form. Please submit your application by January 13th, 2022 to ensure enough time for NAVBLUE to process it. Prior to this 1-week trial, you will be invited to our Webinar on January 12th, 2022 12:00 UTC to present RunwaySense and guide you through the trial.
For more information, please contact us: runwaysense@navblue.aero
