About Aviation Safety Technologies

FAA-recommended technology that's accelerating the evolution of aviation safety

AST helps mitigate the risks of runway excursions

Aviation Safety Technologies (AST) is the world’s leading provider of Aircraft Braking Action Reports (ABARs), recognized by the U.S. FAA as the preferred methodology for measuring and reporting on real-time braking action and runway friction conditions.

Science-based ABARs help mitigate the risks of runway excursions by providing pilots of incoming aircraft with objective data about braking friction, deceleration, and runway conditions based on previous landings.

AST’s SafeLand™ system and its ABARs deliver this real-time insight based on data collected from aircraft-based sensors.

These 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, ATC, and others. Using this information, pilots can improve their landing decisions while airports can improve their runway management strategies.

The bottom line is a lower risk of runway excursions, translating into enhanced passenger safety, more efficient operations, higher runway uptime, and more reliable flight schedules.

SafeLand™ complies with the aircraft braking measurement standard released by ASTM International in November 2020.

The new ASTM International Standard E3266 for Friction-Limited Aircraft Braking Measurements and Reporting 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. Any such system may be installed on an aircraft or operated remotely.

Our mission: Helping airports and airlines meet the FAA's recommended actions for mitigating runway excursions

AST's SafeLand™ Surface Management System enables airlines and airports to comply with recommended actions outlined in the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Advisory Circular AC 91-79B regarding aircraft landing performance and runway excursion mitigation.
AST and the U.S. FAA

AST was formed in response to new FAA requirements designed to help mitigate runway excursions.

Our roots reach back to 2007, when the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), in response to continuing landing overruns and runway excursions in U.S. airports, recommended that the FAA should: 

“Demonstrate the technical and operational feasibility of outfitting transport-category airplanes with equipment and procedures required to routinely calculate, record, and convey the airplane braking ability required and/or available to slow or stop the airplane during the landing roll. If feasible, require operators of transport-category airplanes to incorporate use of such equipment and related procedures into their operations.”

In response to this mandate, the FAA created guidelines for assessing and reporting airport conditions through the utilization of the Runway Condition Assessment Matrix (RCAM). The latest rev of RCAM Requirements of AC 150-5200-30 became effective on October 1, 2016.

Our technology is operationally proven, with 17+ million landings already recorded.

Boasting more than a decade of impeccable field operation, AST’s SafeLand™ Surface Management System is currently being used by 1,600+ commercial aircraft and is recording 6,000+ landings a day. It has been used to aid accident and incident investigations. It’s been tested in scientific research within the Joint Winter Runway Friction Program (sponsored by NASA, FAA, and other research organizations). The reporting system is successfully operating on both Boeing and Airbus aircraft.

There are no limitations to using this system on any aircraft, regardless of manufacturer or origin.

Engagements with commercial carriers and airports are ongoing, helping to further enhance the reliability and accuracy of the technology.

AST is a portfolio business of the Dillon Kane Group

The Dillon Kane Group (DKG) turns great software into great business.  DKG is a privately-held group of affiliated companies that invests in, builds, and revitalizes technology solution businesses. More than 300+ DKG technologists and subject matter experts are engineering tomorrow’s breakthroughs in surface management, data analytics, automation, and other leading-edge technologies.

We formed AST to help aviators tackle one of their long-standing challenges – reducing the risks and improving the efficiencies associated with using and managing the runway surfaces at the heart of aviation.

Extending the frontiers of aviation

Our approach at AST is to turn guesswork into knowledge about actual deceleration and surface conditions. We’re proud of what we’ve accomplished. Leveraging DKG’s development teams and academia, AST has built the world’s first and only braking action measurement system using live data from landing aircraft.

We invite you to learn more about Dillon Kane Group and our plans for AST. We look forward to sharing our vision with you. Visit the Dillon Kane Website to learn more.