operating on frozen runways, it’s absolutely no problem. Our system is designed so as temperatures change, the runways maintain structural strength for aircraft to land rather than being too soft.” PREPARING GRAVEL RUNWAYS FOR MODERN JETS The retirement of Canadian North’s last gravelcapable 737-200 this year marks a critical inflection point for Northern Region aviation. Boeing ceased production of gravel kits decades ago, deeming them financially unviable as southern airports upgraded to pavement. Now northern communities face an existential question: how to accommodate modern aircraft never designed for unpaved surfaces. “The airlines, airport owners, ministries of transport, and Transport Canada are looking to develop a runway surface that will service newer aircraft,”Vitale states. “Whether it’s the Havilland Dash 8, Boeing aircraft, or other modern high-efficiency, bigger payload, highperformance aircraft.”The challenge extends beyond are uniquely suited to the cold environment of northern Canada, operating from minus 50 to plus 70 or 80 degrees Fahrenheit.” Unlike temporary dust suppressants that wash away within months, Midwest’s formulations create permanent molecular bonds with runway materials. The science addresses a critical gap in Northern Region infrastructure. Traditional dust palliatives provide 70% effectiveness initially but degrade to 20% within a year before disappearing entirely. Midwest’s EK35 system maintains performance for four years or longer, transforming loose gravel into surfaces with pavement-like strength. “The products don’t leach out or wash out.They stay where we put them,”Vitale explains.“They chemically bond permanently to the gravel and then bond the particles together to create this matrix that is the runway surface.” This permanence proves essential as climate patterns shift. “Traditionally the whole northern part of Canada is frozen. Now with warming, that alters the strength of the runways. When you’re STABILIZE & REVOLUTIONIZE GRAVEL RUNWAYS WITH EK35®. MIDWESTind.com 800.321.0699 124 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 12, ISSUE 08
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