Indore (Madhya Pradesh): The Airport Authority of India conducted a successful trial of a 'Made In India' Friction Runway Testing Machine at Indore's Devi Ahilyabai Holkar International Airport. The runway testing vehicle-- said to be first indigenously designed and assembled machine, had its first trial on Indore's runway.
The runway was found safe and smooth for landing of aircrafts, during the test on Saturday. The team of experts believed that runway is even suitable for the heavy aircrafts, and there is no danger.
Notably, this machine checks the friction caused by aircraft landing on the runway.
Indore Airport Management said that this 'Airport Surface Friction Tester' (ASFT) has been prepared in India for the first time. Earlier this machine was imported from abroad.
What is Airport Surface Friction Tester?
This machine is installed on a car, and a special wheel touches the surface of the runway. When the car runs, this wheel sends the data of the friction available on the runway to the machine. Often when planes land fast, the rubber of their tyres stick to the runway, which reduces the friction capacity of the runway and increases the risk of slipping.
This machine records all these data and on the basis of that, the need for runway improvement is decided.
Through tests, it is ensured that there are no problems on the runway. If any problems are found, then rectification work is done as it is necessary for the safety of the aircraft.
