TPA panels help pilots see their way home

01 Aug

Temporary roadways by specialist access solutions supplier TPA are helping one of the UK’s first airports to guide pilots safely to land through the busy summer months.

A 50m length of TPA’s aluminum panels, which was installed last November and due to be disassembled in April, is remaining in place until the autumn to help vital equipment to be serviced at Liverpool John Lennon Airport.

The equipment, Runway Instrumented Visual Range (I-RVR), provides an automated assessment of the distance an aircraft pilot can see the runway in poor weather, and needs servicing on at least a weekly basis.

But it is located in a remote grassed area of the airfield, and with the deluge of rain the UK has experienced since November, the ground had become impassable, even for the engineer’s 4x4 vehicle, a Toyota Hilux pick-up. A solution was required that could be instated at short notice and at a cost-effective price point.

The airport’s Air Traffic Engineering Technical Services Manager, Air Traffic Control Services, Michael Brown started looking for a supplier of temporary roadways and came across TPA’s website.

“I reached out to several other companies but TPA came straight back to me with a host of information on their products and services,” he said.

“Joe Cooper [TPA’s business development representative] quickly arranged a meeting to discuss our requirements, which being located on the airfield of an international airport were quite unique.”

Joe and a colleague carried out a site survey to ensure the products and plan would be suitable for the airport’s needs, and were able to address concerns raised regarding aviation safety, providing all the necessary safety documentation as required, including a full set of RAMS and a comprehensive works briefing pack.

He added: “There were several challenges and concerns that needed to be addressed. As always in aviation, the safety of aircraft is paramount and so we needed to be sure that any temporary solution was safe to install on the airfield. Toachieve this, I requested additional information from TPA regarding the product, some of which I’m sure they had never been asked before, but they were able to respond promptly. In addition, we had to install the track without affecting the commercial operation. This necessitated night works, which TPA were able to accommodate for us.”

The 3m TPA panels were installed, with a turning circle at the far end to avoid the pick-up having to reverse back down the track, by a team of two in just a couple of hours.

Michael said: “We have found the temporary track to be an excellent solution and with the traffic levels building throughout the summer months, the decision was made to extend the hire of the temporary panels until after the busy summer season had passed, allowing a permanent track to be installed. TPA were very accommodating in allowing us to extend the project indefinitely.

“I found the whole experience to be swift, professional and flexible. And if ever I need a temporary roadway, I wouldn’t look anywhere else.”

Joe said: “There were all sorts of hurdles regarding the physical installation and only being allowed to enter during specific times and dates, along with security checks, but we offered advice on usage and best practices to keep it in place during its longer than average period, with it being in the public eye and quite a high-risk area with planes landing and taking off either side of it.”