AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - January 2021 - 86

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Asphalt analysis
Rating runways before landing on them
BY DENNIS K. JOHNSON

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here; thermal cracks have pushed up ridges in the surface, and they'll grab a tire if you're
not careful.

WHEN AN AIRPORT DIRECTORY reports
runway surface and other conditions
online, where does that information
come from? Generally it comes from FAA
sources, but, like a pirep, it may not always
reflect the current conditions-and understanding the criteria is key.
Recently, I was contacted by a Nevada
pilot about the runway at America's lowest-elevation airport, Furnace Creek
Airport (L06) in Death Valley National
Park. He wrote that it was in " horrible
condition and our group in Las Vegas will
no longer fly there until it is repaved. " He
contacted me because I'd just written
about Furnace Creek for AOPA Pilot (see
" Pilot Briefing: Airports, " February 2020
AOPA Pilot), so his words got my attention. The FAA airport database rated the
runway surface as " good, " but since I'd
not been there myself in a couple years,
I contacted someone who had. He rated
it " acceptable. " OK, now we have " horrible, " " acceptable, " and " good. " Is there any
information a pilot can really trust?

86 | AOPA PILOT January 2021

The only way to judge, I supposed, was
to go and see for myself, and I did that in
late February 2020. That way I'd be able to
rate the runway accurately. I found thermal cracks across the asphalt that had
pushed up into approximately one-inchhigh ridges. The extremely hot conditions
in Death Valley must have heated the surface until it couldn't expand any more
without deforming. Except for these
cracks and ridges, the surface was in good
condition (in my opinion): flat, smooth,
and solid. I'd land my airplane there, but
I'd be extra careful once the tires touched
down and keep my feet active on the rudder pedals, so a ridge didn't grab a tire and
cause a swerve.
As I walked over the runway, I realized
the real problem. Sure, I was able to assess
this runway in relation to my airplane and
my abilities, but the hard part is communicating that condition to another person.
Terms like " good " and " acceptable " are
quite subjective; a runway that may be
" good " to one pilot may seem unusable to

DENNIS K. JOHNSON

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WEATHER-DAMAGED asphalt, like that on this runway, can cause serious damage if you land

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AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - January 2021

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