The Airport Consultants Council (ACC) held their Airfield Pavement Design, Evaluation & Analysis Workshop in Raleigh, North Carolina this week, attracting participants from across the country.
Expert presenters for the three-day workshop included Monty Wade, P.E., President, and David Peshkin, P.E., Vice President, for Applied Pavement Technology (APTech), and Doug Johnson, P.E., Civil Engineer with the FAA.
APTech President.
“ACC has been offering the Airfield Pavement Design, Evaluation & Analysis Workshop for many years,” said T.J. Schulz, President, Airport Consultants Council. “The event has provided hundreds of airside design experts updated information on FAA specifications and directives. Thanks to the strong support of Applied Pavement Technology, Inc. and experts from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), this workshop has been a consistent success. Demand for the Raleigh workshop was so strong that ACC is looking to stand up a second course by the end of the calendar year.”
APTech has been teaching this workshop for the ACC since the early 2000s, with the objective of providing engineers with current information on how to design new and rehabilitated airfield pavements and how to determine Pavement Classification Numbers (PCNs). A unique feature of this workshop is the extensive use of hands-on problem-solving activities, with participants using FAARFIELD and COMFAA to actually apply what they are learning about pavement design and analysis on real-world design problems. Participants leave the workshop with both an understanding of pavement design and analysis and the ability to develop designs for their clients.
This week’s class in Raleigh was a good window into how the audience has evolved over the years. While it originally targeted the consulting industry, in addition to representatives from over 20 engineering firms, participants this week included representatives from the FAA and two state DOTs. “The diverse audience that this workshop attracts really benefits the workshop and its participants, as they bring different perspectives and experiences to the table, allowing everyone to learn from the shared experiences of the industry,” said Peshkin, APTech’s Chief Engineer and co-instructor.
The FAA has been a great partner for many years, providing co-instructors who share their unique insights into the development and evolution of FAA practices; Johnson from FAA Headquarters assisted with the Raleigh workshop, as he has on other recent workshops. “Having participation from the FAA brings a unique perspective to this workshop, combining the knowledge and experience of the instructors from the consultant industry with the insight into the development and future direction of the design procedures and Advisory Circular guidelines,” said Wade.
