Extending the frontiers of aviation safety

SafeLand™ is today’s  leading real-time braking action and surface condition reporting system for aviation, working with all aircraft types and airport surfaces. Our Aircraft Braking Action Reports (ABARs) are the FAA’s preferred methodology for measuring and reporting on the braking action of landing aircraft.

SafeLand for airlines and airports

Insight into 17+ million landings

AST is currently reporting on thousands of landings a day by more than 2,000 jet aircraft. Our FAA-recommended Aircraft Braking Action Reports (ABARs) offer insight into landing and braking trends that were previously incalculable.

Optimizing airside operations

AST’s science-based Aircraft Braking Action Reports (ABARs) give airports unique insight into runway conditions and braking friction so they can optimize runway maintenance and keep flight schedules on track.

Fast and easy integration

The SafeLand™ Surface Management System easily integrates with your existing systems, so there is no need for a separate user interface.

Unparalleled insight into runway conditions using live data from landing aircraft.

 

Recommended by the FAA to help mitigate potential runway excursions

 

AST’s SafeLand™ Surface Management System provides airports, pilots, airlines, and regulatory bodies with objective data about runway conditions and available braking friction based on real-time data from landing aircraft.

Our Aircraft Braking Action Reports (ABARs) are the science-based methodology recommended by the U.S. FAA for measuring and reporting on the braking friction experienced by landing aircraft.  

ABARs deliver objective, real-time insight into runway conditions based on live data collected from sensors on the aircraft. The sensors allow measurement of the precise braking action of landing aircraft based on surface conditions and the impact of contaminants such as water, ice, or snow. These real-time reports can be made instantly available to incoming aircraft, ground personnel, airport operations, and authorities. Using this information, pilots can improve their landing decisions while airports can improve their surface management strategies.

The bottom line:

FAA LogoAugust 28, 2023: FAA confirms that data-based Aircraft Braking Action Reports (ABARs) are the preferred methodology to help mitigate potential runway excursions

In its August 28, 2023 Advisory Circular AC 91-79B, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed that data-based Aircraft Braking Action Reports (ABARs) are the preferred methodology for measuring and reporting on the braking action of landing aircraft.

ABARs utilize real-time data from aircraft-based sensors about the actual braking friction that those planes experience when landing, especially on wet, icy, or contaminated runways. Data-based ABARs are in contrast to Pilot Braking Action Reports (PBARs), which are based on a pilot’s subjective experience and evaluation of a landing.

All stakeholders benefit from the addition of scientific landing data that is the most precise and accurate available.  Every landing is an opportunity for an ABAR to inform stakeholders – pilots on the next landing approach and airports seeking to optimize runway maintenance – with insight about braking action, deceleration, and runway friction conditions.

Complies with the ASTM International standard for runway braking measurement and reporting

ASTM logoThe SafeLand™ system – today’s leading runway friction measuring and reporting platform delivering Aircraft Braking Action Reports (ABARs) – complies with the aircraft braking measurement standard released by ASTM International, formerly known as the American Society for Testing and Materials.

The ASTM International Standard E3266 for Friction-Limited Aircraft Braking Measurements and Reporting – published in November 2020 – applies to systems that measure and report on braking forces and runway friction. This standard applies to any automated system that uses data from an aircraft to create what ASTM International calls an Aircraft Braking Action Report (ABAR).

“With ASTM International Standard E3266, the aviation world now has a definitive international standard that provides objective measuring and quantifying of the actual landing risk on wet or contaminated runway surfaces experienced by commercial aircraft,” said Joe Vickers, CEO of AST. “This important advance brings significant safety benefits, improved operational efficiency, and better runway maintenance. It embodies the march of progress as we evolve from subjective assessments of runway conditions to objective, science-based measurements.”

New runway friction standard

We give pilots visibility into actual runway conditions

Ask pilots about the challenges they face when landing, and they'll mention the lack of hard data in the cockpit about the runway surfaces they approach every day. Sure, a runway may be wet – but exactly how wet? And how does that contamination affect braking? AST's Aircraft Braking Landing Reports (ABARs) provide today's pilots with objective information about the exact braking action they should expect to see based on empirical data from the planes that just landed. This insight has enormous implications in how pilots land their planes, and how airlines manage safety risk in changing conditions.
Airline benefits

Airport operations love us too

Ask airport personnel about managing runway availability, and they'll tell you about the challenges of scheduling plows, brooms, blowers, and chemicals at the exact right times. When are they best scheduled? If crews are visually assessing surfaces for contaminant type, depth and coverage – and making guesstimates about the resulting impacts on braking friction – inefficiencies will abound. AST provides airports with science-based measurements of actual braking friction and deceleration experienced by landing aircraft. So runways can be managed with precision.
Airport benefits

How we do it

AST’s SafeLand™ leverages aircraft-based sensors to objectively measure, report, and manage braking action and surface conditions:

Aircraft-based sensors are used to measure braking action (deceleration) on landings. This real-time data provides pilots of incoming aircraft with vital science-based insight about actual braking friction – a helpful improvement over traditional subjective pilot assessments and imprecise cockpit-based observations.

Our methodology

Aircraft Braking Action Reports (ABARs) – shared instantly

We instantly package real-time landing data in ABARs and share this important insight with pilots of incoming aircraft, airport personnel, towers, and other key stakeholders such as ATOs, FAA, and CAAs.

It all adds up to better aviation, with safer landings, maximum runway usability, more reliable flight schedules, and a better customer experience for the millions who are counting on safe, reliable transportation.

Discover the solution

We turn live data into transformational insight

No more guesswork. Now you get real-time insight into actual surface conditions and braking action from an FAA-recommended system.
Insight that transforms!

Improved safety. Smoother operations. Happier passengers.

It's no wonder dozens of airports and airlines across the U.S. are putting AST to work measuring and reporting on braking friction.

Amelia would have loved our runways

Aviation pioneers like Amelia Earhart faced daunting challenges. One was being able to understand, in advance, the condition of their landing surfaces – an impossible task back then. Thanks to AST, today's pilots have a whole new level of insight into surface contaminants and how they impact friction and braking.
8 pivot points in aviation history

News and events from AST

FAA recommends AST technology to help mitigate runway excursions

Calendar iconOctober 11, 2023

FAA recognizes data-based Aircraft Braking Action Reports (ABARs) as the preferred methodology for measuring and reporting on actual braking friction. Read More...

SafeLand

AST Adds Artificial Intelligence to its Industry-leading Aircraft Braking Measurement and Reporting System

Calendar iconDecember 15, 2021

The SafeLand™ Surface Management System continues to advance its role in the future of aviation safety. Read More...

ASTM logo

AST Demonstrates Compliance With ASTM Industry Standard for Aircraft Braking Measurements

Calendar iconDecember 14, 2021

The proven SafeLand™ system has demonstrated compliance with ASTM Standard E3266 – another milestone on its path to worldwide acceptance. Read More...