1 . 1 Introduction and Description of the Fod Hcf Problem

First we need to define what “FOD” is and how serious is the threat. In the aviation industry, there are two generally accepted meanings for the acronym FOD. One definition is “Foreign Object Debris”, which includes substances, debris or any articles that could potentially cause damage to a vehicle or engine (Figures 1 and 2). It is anything – large or small – inside or around aircraft and flight-line operations that does not belong there – which could create a hazard to equipment or personnel. Typical items that make up the list of types of debris are extensive. The list includes animals (birds, deer, moose, humans), hand tools, ballpoint pens, screws, rivets, tie-wire and other aircraft small parts, plastic, paper, wood, rocks and pebbles, ice – the list is nearly unlimited [1]. For the purposes of this technical manual, we will only be concerned with “hard body” foreign object debris – this category includes rocks, small metallic objects etc., but excludes “soft body” debris such as ice, cloth rags and animals. However, limited soft-body FOD prevention information is presented in Chapter 6 and in Annex D.