Airmen's FOD walk is first line of defense

Published March 3, 2010
By Angela Cutrer
Keesler News staff

KEESLER AFB, Ms. -- Notice anything odd about the group slowly ambling down the flightline on Friday? Sure, many times groups of Airmen have congregated on the flightline, but this group seemed a little ... preoccupied. Heads down, completely centered on the activity of their feet, the group members appeared to have tunnel vision.

That was exactly the case. It was necessary because they were looking for that which is usually and understandably commonly overlooked -- pebbles, rocks, paper clips, plastic beads, wooden pellets, plastic cups, forgotten pennies: fragments of something that used to be a part of something more.

It might be hard to believe that one minuscule, insignificant piece of debris could be the source of so much to-do, but nothing is irrelevant when it comes to aircraft safety. That one tiny, seemingly trivial piece of rubble -- called foreign object debris -- could mean a $50,000 Air Force bill for aircraft repair, or worse, it could mean the loss of human life.

The aviation term "foreign object debris" describes any foreign item not native to the system that can damage aircraft. ("FOD" also stands for foreign object damage; it's all in the context.) The National Association of FOD Prevention Inc. reports that annually, it costs the U.S. civil aviation industry $16 million for FOD damage and the cost to global aviation industry runs from $3 to $4 billion per year, all because of a pebble. Or a paper clip. Or a shiny coin.

A 2008 study by a London-based consulting firm for www.FODNews.com noted that data from two of the larger European airports indicates that those two civilian runways were shut down for an average 200-240 minutes per month due to FOD and wildlife strikes. The same study said that in the United States, "FOD causes airlines to incur direct costs as high as $20 million per airport per year" and that indirect costs from airport or runway closures, fuel efficiency losses from bent blades, missed connections, costs of investigation and unscheduled maintenance issues push the numbers even higher.

That's why FODs are unwanted, unwelcomed visitors to all runways, taxiways and parking areas. So, when it comes to Air Force aircraft safety, Airmen have to step in -- literally -- to make a clean sweep of the areas Air Force aircraft occupy.

Promoting FOD awareness engages workforce with information, feedback and involvement. The Air Force uses creative ways to encourage FOD awareness, be it treasure hunt aspects or competition-style activities.

For example, at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, the 433rd Airlift Wing's C-5 parking ramp is the mandatory gathering place every Monday for all Airmen assigned to the 433rd Maintenance Group. And, at Kadena Air Base, Japan, more than 450 Airmen volunteers gather annually to cover two 12,000-square-foot runways, plucking almost 50 pounds of debris the last time they assembled.

Eielson AFB, Alaska, and Misawa AB, Japan, also conduct annual "clean-up days" to take control of possible debris problems.

And at Keesler, these sprucing-up opportunities are now front and center for the entire base's population.

Friday, the first group took its turn scanning the concrete during this Team Keesler effort.

"The 403rd Maintenance Squadron and the 45th Airlift Squadron have FOD walks around their aircraft parking areas, which include Ramp 1 and 2, but now a wing group or staff agency will be able to participate in monthly FOD walks on the first duty Friday," said Dudley Cruse, 81st Operations Flight quality assurance chief.

"We concentrated on Alpha taxiway, which runs parallel with the runway," Mr. Cruse said. "The base has a street sweeper that covers this area and by having the FOD walk along with the sweeper, we want to make sure not the smallest pebble is overlooked on the 6,500-foot taxiway."

As an incentive for the participants in the walk, a small golden bolt placed on the taxi area prior to walk waited for discovery.

"Whoever found it would have received a small reward," Mr. Cruse said. Alas, the golden bolt stayed hidden from view of these first set of walkers.

F.O.D. Control Corp. founder and general manager Gary Chaplain said he has found "that the U.S. Air Force has the most effective long-term FOD programs on the planet" due to senior grade officers responsible for oversight. Because of this accountability, management support reflects down the chain in a positive manner.

Chaplain also noted that not counting wildlife-related FOD, "the largest percentage of FOD damage has been traced to housekeeping issues."

Col. Chris Valle, 81st Training Wing vice commander and senior airfield authority for Keesler, sees the monthly FOD walk as not only a way to ensure a safe airfield, but to build camaraderie among the participants.

"It's just another way for Team Keesler members to be good wingmen -- protecting our people and resources," he said.

Airmen’s FOD walk is first line of defense