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    The 30th Annual FOD Conference was held in Layton, Utah August 10-13th. You wouldn't ordinarily think me and airfield markings would have anything at all to do with FOD, but there we were... and a presenter to boot! I was amazed that there was a National Aerospace FOD Prevention, Inc. (NAFPI) annual conference, let alone their 30th one! (www.nafpi.com)

    I was fascinated, and learned a lot about FOD. It takes the form of more than just debris, like glass beads and paint chunks that break off, lying on the runway. FOD is "FOREIGN" object debris or damage, meaning it doesn't belong there. Like bolts or screws loose in an engine that is being overhauled, or a pen lying on the floor where aircraft parts are being assembled. There were pictures of incidents that had occurred where people had lost their lives due to a careless mistake, however innocent. Tool kit manufacturers were among the vendors; and they have perfected the art of knowing where each of the tools is; or certainly which tools are not where they belong... another boon for the aircraft repair business. "A place for everything and everything in its place," is their motto.

    I spoke to the entire group briefly about glass beads as FOD; and moreover, about large chunks of paint and beads as FOD. Those that spoke with me later had never considered those components of airfield markings as FOD; but they are. Just ask The Boeing Company. When glass beads, like sand in the desert, are ingested into jet engines, they melt; and they can cause the engine to overheat, thus reducing its life cycle. Perhaps the fact that markings are not foreign to airfields takes it out of consideration when investigating FOD. However, there are steps airports can take to avoid ever having to think of markings as debris.

    Read the What's New column about our recent consultancy with Renton Municipal Airport, another airport with The Boeing Company as a major tenant, and the airport's effort to reduce the chance of glass beads becoming FOD during the runway overlay project there.

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