Saskatchewan winters are filled with snow and cold weather. A new state of the art de-icing truck is making these harsh winter conditions easier to manage for Regina International Airport.
The technology is called Epoke; it’s an industry-standard machine that cost the airport $400,000. The truck arrived in September and was in action by the end of October.
“This is a critical apparatus that allows us to ensure that the runway has a friction value. Friction value is the ability for an aircraft to safely brake. It’s important especially during weather that we have this week when it becomes close to freezing point,” said James Bogusz, CEO of Regina Airport Authority.
This newest generation of the Epoke chemical spreaders will allow the airport’s maintenance team to have more accurate and uniform delivery of de-icing chemicals. The former system used two trucks that would spread granular and liquid chemicals, but this new system combines both those tasks into one truck.
James Neale, director of Airside Operations and Safety said, “if we wanted to apply liquid we would take one truck, if we wanted to apply solid we would take another truck. This one not only allows us to change on the fly, but we can actually apply a pre-wet solid chemical which essentially activates the chemical so that it operates a lot quicker.”
The technology uses a computer-controlled system with a preset rate that can take into account wind direction and speed and runway conditions. Each use will cost the airport just over $2,500. The price tag might seem hefty but it’s actually 30 per cent cheaper than the former system, officials said.
Although it’s too early into the season to release specific numbers, the airport believes this machine will reduce flight delays.
“It’s capable of travelling at a faster speed, it can de-ice quicker than the other one. So it’s less time on the runway which reduces delays for the air traffic,” Neale said.
The Epoke has a life expectancy of approximately 25 years.
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