SUBPART M
Aerodrome Maintanance
(a) General:
(1) A maintenance programme, including but not
limited to preventive maintenance where appropriate, shall be established at an
aerodrome to maintain facilities in a condition which does not impair the
safety, regularity or efficiency of air navigation.
Note 1:
Preventive maintenance is programmed maintenance work done in order to prevent
a failure or degradation of facilities.
Note 2:
“Facilities” are intended to include such items as pavements, visual aids,
fencing, drainage systems and buildings.
(2)
The design and application of the maintenance programme should observe Human
Factors principles.
Note:
Guidance material on Human Factors principles can be found in EAC 139-32.
(b) Pavements:
(1) The
surfaces of all movement areas including pavements (runways, taxiways, and
aprons) and adjacent areas) shall inspected and their conditions monitored
regularly as part of an aerodrome preventive and corrective maintenance
programme with the objective of avoiding and eliminating any loose
objects/debris that might cause damage to, aircraft, or impair the operation of
aircraft systems.
Note
1.— See 139.307.(i).(3) for inspections of movement areas.
Note
2.— Guidance on carrying out daily inspections of the movement area is given in
the EAC 139-25, EAC 139-30 and the Advanced Surface Movement Guidance and
Control Systems (A-SMGCS) EAC 139-61 under preparation
Note
3.— Additional guidance on sweeping/cleaning of surfaces is contained in the
EAC 139-26
Note
4: Guidance on precautions to be taken in regard to the surface of shoulders is
given in EAC 139-48, and EAC 139-10.
(2) The surface of a runway shall be maintained
in a condition such as to prevent formation of harmful irregularities.
Note: See
EAC 139-45.
(3) Measurements of the friction characteristics
of a runway surface shall be made periodically with a continuous friction
measuring device using self-wetting features.
Note:
Guidance on evaluating the friction characteristics of a runway is provided in
EAC 139-47. Additional guidance is included in EAC 139-19.
(4) Corrective maintenance action shall be taken
when the friction characteristics for either the entire runway or a portion
thereof are below a minimum friction level specified in EAC 139-19.
Note: A
portion of runway in the order of 100 m long may be considered significant for
maintenance or reporting action.
(5) Corrective maintenance action should be
considered when the friction characteristics for either the entire runway or a
portion thereof are below a maintenance planning level specified by the ECAA.
(6) When there is reason to believe that the
drainage characteristics of a runway, or portions thereof, are poor due to
slopes or depressions, then the runway friction characteristics should be
assessed under natural or simulated conditions that are representative of local
rain and corrective maintenance action should be taken as necessary.
(7) When a taxiway is used by turbine-engined
aeroplanes, the surface of the taxiway shoulders should be maintained so as to
be free of any loose stones or other objects that could be ingested by the
aeroplane engines.
Note:
Guidance on this subject is given in EAC 139-10.
(8) The surface of a paved runway shall be
maintained in a condition so as to provide good friction characteristics and
low rolling resistance slush, standing water, mud, dust, sand, oil, rubber
deposits and other contaminants shall be removed as rapidly and completely as
possible to minimize accumulation.
(9) A taxiway should be kept clear of slush,
dust to the extent necessary to enable
aircraft to be taxied to and from an operational runway.
(10) Aprons should be kept clear of slush, dust,
etc., to the extent necessary to enable aircraft to manoeuvre safely or, where
appropriate, to be towed or pushed.
(11) Whenever the clearance of slush, dust, etc.,
from the various parts of the movement area cannot be carried out
simultaneously, the order of priority should be as follows but may be altered
following, as necessary, consultation with the aerodrome users:
(i) 1st: Runway(s) in use;
(ii) 2nd: Taxiways serving runway(s) in use;
(iii) 3rd: Apron(s);
(iv) 4th: Holding bays; and
(v) 5th: Other areas.
(12) (Reserved).
(13) Chemicals which may have harmful effects on
aircraft or pavements, or chemicals which may have toxic effects on the
aerodrome environment, shall not be used. Note: Guidance on the use of
chemicals for aerodrome pavements is given in EAC 139-19.
(c) Runway pavement overlays:
(1) The longitudinal slope of the temporary ramp,
measured with reference to the existing runway surface or previous overlay
course, shall be:
(i) 0.5 to 1.0 per cent for overlays up to and
including 5 cm in thickness; and
(ii) Not more than 0.5 per cent for overlays more
than 5 cm in thickness.
Note: The
following specifications are intended for runway pavement overlay projects when
the runway is to be returned to an operational status before overlay of the
entire runway is complete thus normally necessitating a temporary ramp between
the new and old runway surfaces. Guidance on overlaying pavements and assessing
their operational status is given in EAC 139-11.
(2) Overlaying should proceed from one end of the
runway toward the other end so that based on runway utilization most aircraft
operations will experience a down ramp.
(3) The entire width of the runway should be
overlaid during each work session.
(4) Before a runway being overlaid is returned to
a temporary operational status, a runway centre line marking conforming to the
specifications in Section .321(c) shall
be provided. Additionally, the location of any temporary threshold shall be
identified by a 3.6 m wide transverse stripe.
(d) Visual aids:
(1) A light shall be deemed to be unserviceable
when the main beam average intensity is less than 50 per cent of the value
specified in the appropriate figure in Appendix 2. For light units where the
designed main beam average intensity is above the value shown in Appendix 2,
the 50 per cent value shall be related to that design value.
Note: These specifications
are intended to define the maintenance performance level objectives. They are
not intended to define whether the lighting system is operationally out of
service.
(2) A system of preventive maintenance of visual
aids shall be employed to ensure lighting and marking system reliability.
Note:
Guidance on preventive maintenance of visual aids is given in EAC 139-26.
(3) The system of preventive maintenance employed
for a precision approach runway category II or III should include at least the
following checks:
(i) Visual inspection and in-field measurement
of the intensity, beam spread and orientation of lights included in the
approach and runway lighting systems;
(ii) Control and measurement of the electrical
characteristics of each circuitry included in the approach and runway lighting
systems; and
(iii) Control of the correct functioning of light
intensity settings used by air traffic control.
(4) In-field measurement of intensity, beam
spread and orientation of lights included in approach and runway lighting
systems for a precision approach runway category II or III should be undertaken
by measuring all lights, as far as practicable, to ensure conformance with the
applicable specification of Appendix 2.
(5) Measurement of intensity, beam spread and
orientation of lights included in approach and runway lighting systems for a
precision approach runway category II or III should be undertaken using a
mobile measuring unit of sufficient accuracy to analyze the characteristics of
the individual lights.
(6) The frequency of measurement of lights for a
precision approach runway category II or III should be based on traffic
density, the local pollution level, the reliability of the installed lighting
equipment and the continuous assessment of the results of the in-field
measurements but in any event should not be less than twice a year for
in-pavement lights and not less than once a year for other lights.
(7) The system of preventive maintenance employed
for a precision approach runway category II or III shall have as its objective
that, during any period of category II or III operations, all approach and
runway lights are serviceable, and that in any event at least:
(i) 95 per cent of the lights are serviceable in
each of the following particular significant elements:
(A) Precision
approach category II and III lighting system, the inner 450 m;
(B) Runway
centre line lights;
(C) Runway
threshold lights; and
(D) Runway
edge lights;
(ii) 90 per cent of the lights are serviceable in
the touchdown zone lights;
(iii) 85 per cent of the lights are serviceable in
the approach lighting system beyond 450 m; and
(iv) 75 per cent of the lights are serviceable in
the runway end lights.
In order to
provide continuity of guidance, the allowable percentage of unserviceable lights
shall not be permitted in such a way as to alter the basic pattern of the
lighting system. Additionally, an unserviceable light shall not be permitted
adjacent to another unserviceable light, except in a barrette or a crossbar
where two adjacent unserviceable lights may be permitted.
Note: With
respect to barrettes, crossbars and runway edge lights, lights are considered
to be adjacent if located consecutively and: laterally: in the same barrette or
crossbar; or longitudinally: in the same row of edge lights or barrettes.
(8) The system of preventive maintenance employed
for a stop bar provided at a runway-holding position used in conjunction with a
runway intended for operations in runway visual range conditions less than a
value of 350 m shall have the following objectives:
(i) No more than two lights will remain
unserviceable; and
(ii) Two adjacent lights will not remain
unserviceable unless the light spacing is significantly less than that
specified.
(9) The system of preventive maintenance employed
for a taxiway intended for use in runway visual range conditions less than a
value of 350 m shall have as its objective that no two adjacent taxiway centre
line lights be unserviceable.
(10) The system of preventive maintenance employed
for a precision approach runway category I shall have as its objective that,
during any period of category I operations, all approach and runway lights are
serviceable, and that in any event at least 85 per cent of the lights are
serviceable in each of the following:
(i) Precision approach category I lighting
system;
(ii) Runway threshold lights;
(iii) Runway edge lights; and
(iv) Runway end lights.
In order to
provide continuity of guidance an unserviceable light shall not be permitted
adjacent to another unserviceable light unless the light spacing is
significantly less than that specified.
Note: In
barrettes and crossbars, guidance is not lost by having two adjacent
unserviceable lights.
(11) The system of preventive maintenance employed
for a runway meant for take-off in runway visual range conditions less than a
value of 550 m shall have as its objective that, during any period of
operations, all runway lights are serviceable and that in any event:
(i) At least 95 per cent of the lights are
serviceable in the runway centre line lights (where provided) and in the runway
edge lights; and
(ii) At least 75 per cent of the lights are
serviceable in the runway end lights.
In order to
provide continuity of guidance, an unserviceable light shall not be permitted
adjacent to another unserviceable light.
(12) The system of preventive maintenance employed
for a runway meant for take-off in runway visual range conditions of a value of
550 m or greater shall have as its objective that, during any period of
operations, all runway lights are serviceable and that, in any event, at least
85 per cent of the lights are serviceable in the runway edge lights and runway
end lights. In order to provide continuity of guidance, an unserviceable light
shall not be permitted adjacent to another unserviceable light.
(13) During low visibility procedures the ECAA
should restrict construction or maintenance activities in the proximity of
aerodrome electrical s