Runway marker boards

theres lots of short grassed areas on linton. think as theres a helipad the taxi way asp and runway all in a small area with lots of taxiway lights. sum reason the grass is hort were the ils locater building is next to asp. th island between hold area and taxiway and the opposite side all round the the threshold. its a waste of markers really as theres a no drive policy when its snows

smiler16;59160 wrote:

its a waste of markers really as theres a no drive policy when its snows

Ha ha, yes same here at St Athan, we just shut.
It seems like it's only the vital work stations such as Conningsby, Lyneham, Brize etc that do go to the bother of snow clearing now.
The grass has to be kept short close by the ILS localiser, and RPAR if you have it there, as longer grass starts to effect its performance.

Long grass, short grass, spikey grass, blimey Ive lost count of the different policiies the RAF has had on grass length.

As for snow clearing, well whats the point of clearing the airfield if people cant get in to work? And the height of absurdity when it came to snow clearing was at Cranwell. What was the first priority there for snow clearing?

The College parade square!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

its all a strange affair when it comes to snow clearance. im responsable for snaow markers but another company ir responsable for the snow clearance. bit like on the tech side 1 company for that 1 for airfieldside.

and policys for different length grass is a nightmare.
good one is the 28 undershoot was left for long grass policy as a cost cutting measuere. during the sunmer it was 3 feet high. very safe for landing aircraft

Grass policy is a complex subject and takes more than a few lines answer on an interent forum.
The idea of the policy that is set out in the JSP is to prevent airfields from being mown as low and smooth as golf courses and thus providing a haven for the loafing species of the greatest at risk to strike birds (important - not ALL birds), however RAF 'long grass' does not mean long grass, it should be to a height of no more than 6-8 inches, anymore than that and it defeats the object and can actualy become a very attractive area for feeding birds.
Like I say it is a very involved topic and involves the FERA Central Sciences Laboratory research, while stats provided from all airfields etc go someway to providing evidence of what is working where.
Some stations have let the grass get too long, not just on cost cutting grounds but sometimes the local farmer or contractor also does well out of it by getting a sizeable hay harvest from it, something a regular bottoming out to a certian height denies them.
At the end of the day the RAF provide a firm policy to adhere to, and it should be applied by all stations.
At St Athan it is now spot on, but it has taken me to move a football field and cricket pitch, and a copse of 130 trees to get it this way, I haven't seen one bird settle on the grass on my rounds today, and it is a busy period for them.
As I've already mentioned there are exempt areas, grass areas around ILS & RPAR should be kept very short for their performance, as should BFI and ESA areas to reduce fire hazard in the dry months.

Do you do the snow flaging on behalf of a contractor then smiler? I've never heard of that before now.

yeah i run the grounds maintenance team and are contracted by the atc and satco to place them out when requested

You mean that LAC and SACs in the tower no longer get dicked about with stupid silly jobs?

i dont know thet did bring some of themn in there self this year as they were been a arse and not letting me bring them in as they wanted