Not every airport has a runway roughness problem.  But if you do have a roughness problem frequently used devices and techniques such as the Profilograph or IRI cannot tell you much about roughness that affects larger commercial aircraft.  To solve this problem, APR developed the unique technology of aircraft simulation.  This capability will tell you how the aircraft responded to the measured pavement profile.  It is this actionable information on where the roughness is located and our ability to quantify its severity that separates APR from our competition.

APR’s approach to identifying pavement roughness rests on three core components: accurate profile measurement, comprehensive aircraft simulation capability, and the use of a variety of straightedge analysis techniques. For profile measurement, APR measures the pavement’s “true” pavement profile, capturing all wavelengths, amplitudes and grade changes associated with the pavement.  This forms the foundation for effective evaluation. Through aircraft simulation, this profile data is analyzed to replicate real-world aircraft responses.  This is the core of APR’s analysis and accurately tells you how an aircraft, and its occupants, respond to the pavement. Meanwhile, straightedge analysis helps identify localized surface anomalies that contribute to roughness. Combined with over 30 years of specialized experience, APR’s methods provide clients with actionable insights to identify and resolve roughness issues, optimizing pavement performance and safety.

If you are receiving pilot or passenger complaints about roughness, APR has the technology and experience to help you identify the problem and create a solution to fix the problem – it’s what we do.