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Engineered Material Arresting System (EMAS)

Background

The runway safety area (RSA) enhances the safety of aircraft that undershoot, overrun, or veer off the runway. The RSA provides a clear, graded area which provides additional space for pilots to bring their aircraft to a safe stop. Though RSAs vary in size by runway, they can be as large as 500 feet wide and often extend 1,000 feet beyond each end of the runway. Many airports were built before the current RSA dimensional standards were adopted in the 1980s. In some cases,...

Runway Safety

Reducing runway safety risk remains a top priority for the FAA. The FAA created the Surface Safety Metric (SSM) to more accurately identify the greatest risks in the runway environment. Unlike previous metrics that focused on the number and severity of runway incursions, the SSM incorporates all

FAA Activates System to Track Space Launch, Reentry Vehicles

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) can now track a space launch or reentry vehicle in near-real time as it travels through the National Airspace System. This new capability increases safety for all airspace users and assists the FAA in
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