When winter hits the Williams Lake airport new equipment will help crews provide winter friction reading reports to Nav Canada instantly.
Airport co-ordinator Shea De La Mare said the airport already has equipment installed in two of the airport vehicles that take a friction measurement of the runway to let pilots know how slippery the runway is.
Thanks to a $39,000 grant from the Airport Capital Assitance Program, the new equipment will upgrade the existing decelerometer so readings can be transmitted electronically.
In the past, information from the readings was routinely shared via voice over radio or telephone to the Nav Canada Service Station.
However, a regulatory change by Nav Canada now requires all Canadian Runway Friction Index reports to be provided electronically.
The new equipment is basically a laptop computer that will be installed in a vehicle – similar to the ones used by RCMP in their vehicles, De La Mare explained.
“We were aware that we needed the capability transmit the information electronically and submitted a grant application to ACAP in March.”
De La Mare learned the application was successful in August. Last week city council authorized mayor and staff to sign an agreement with government for the grant, and once that’s gone through the equipment will be purchased an put into action.