Trivia #1

[artik]

What are these guys doing?

[Debrody]

Looking for a needle on the runway maybe?

[The Fugitive]

Looking for a needle on the runway maybe?

Pretty much. They walk the runway and flight deck before ops to pick up and remove any debris that could cause damage to an engine.

[Someguy63]

I find that funny yet seriously important.

[SmokinLoon]

indeed.  Quite the SOP on aircraft carries and air bases.  Anything can can get sucked up in to an engine or cause damage to a tire.  Anything.

[GScholz]

I've always believed it was a major weakness in western combat jets. If WWIII had happened every concrete runway in the world would have been cratered in short order. All combat aircraft should be able to operate from rough airfields. That a multimillion Dollar jet can be ruined by a piece of debris so small that people have to walk the runway to look for it is completely ridiculous.

[Blinder]

It's called the FOD Walk or foreign object damage. I've done it on occasion on the LHAs. Someone yells down to the berthing area "turn out for fahd walk!" Sometimes over emphasizing the faaaaaaaaaaaaahd waaaaaaaaaaalk. very annoying.

[Blinder]

I've always believed it was a major weakness in western combat jets. If WWIII had happened every concrete runway in the world would have been cratered in short order. All combat aircraft should be able to operate from rough airfields. That a multimillion Dollar jet can be ruined by a piece of debris so small that people have to walk the runway to look for it is completely ridiculous.

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I love Russian equipment! I am Russian! 

[Rich46yo]

I remember sweepers but never having seen airmen actually walk the runways.

[bozon]

What are these guys doing?

Serving in the US armed forces?

[jimson]

I've always believed it was a major weakness in western combat jets. If WWIII had happened every concrete runway in the world would have been cratered in short order. All combat aircraft should be able to operate from rough airfields. That a multimillion Dollar jet can be ruined by a piece of debris so small that people have to walk the runway to look for it is completely ridiculous.

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I don't see anything blocking the intakes on those jets to make them less vulnerable than western jets.

[artik]

It's called the FOD Walk or foreign object damage. I've done it on occasion on the LHAs. Someone yells down to the berthing area "turn out for fahd walk!" Sometimes over emphasizing the faaaaaaaaaaaaahd waaaaaaaaaaalk. very annoying.

Finally - somebody called the name FOD Walk. Also in general you are correct.

About Russian jets - the Su-27 and MiG-29 (old ones) have the "FOD Screen" but in general they are dropping them like in MiG-35 and MiG-29M or their stealth Suchoi. In general the Russian engines are more prone to FOD, also another problem rather the Russian runways that in generally has lower quality maintenance.

About runways being destroyed - if it is destroyed the FOD is the "lesser" problem - first you need to close the holes. And today everybody does this efficiently (everybody learned the 1967 6 Day War lessons)

[Shifty]

I remember sweepers but never having seen airmen actually walk the runways.

Yeah you're right, we usually only did the flightline. They had sweepers for the runway and taxiways.. One time I remember us actually walking the runway, but that was looking for a missing part from an aircraft that lost a tire
on takeoff.

[GScholz]

I don't see anything blocking the intakes on those jets to make them less vulnerable than western jets.

Look closer.



I love that Polish paint scheme... Especially with the WWII heroes they honor on the tail.

In T/O and landing config the engines draw air from the gills on the upper surface of the LERX. Internal doors close the main intakes. The Su-25 doesn't need any since it sits so high off the ground in a nose-up attitude.

[GScholz]

Here's a Russian regional airliner taking off from a typical Russian regional airport...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZbF2OrNkhE