North Star aircraft - slush measurement testing

[tribo]

Trans-Canada Air Lines - Air Canada.

Under the heading 50 years on and still making aviation history following appear in Glasgow Herald April 10, 1987:

The company developed, tested, and used "slush measurement standards" for runway take-off conditions in snow. It was experimental with the North Star aircraft between 1946 and 1948 and the standards laid down were adopted by the US and British Civil Aviation Authorities.

Can anyone shed some more light on this?

[Tiger_mate]

This sounds like what was known in the RAF for many years a MuMeter, whichnis a small trailer towed behind a Land Rover on wet, icy or snow cleared runways. It give readings which are interperated into runway friction readings. I believe there is a new(ish) version and MuMeter has been replaced with another version of the same. I cannot recall what 'Mu' was short for.

Why does pprune change l a n d r o v er to trabant?

[Wander00]

Something in what now passes for my brain is a distant memory that "mu" is the coefficient of friction - but I stand to be corrected (as I often am)

[tribo]

Tiger Mate

The MuMeter is a product of the 1960's and still alive. Older memories needs to brought to life.

[Tiger_mate]

It may be but there is certainly a generation 2 version and I am sure it has a different name despite being the same end result.

Further reading if your having trouble sleeping:

http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA012003

[PAXboy]

Wander00
a distant memory that "mu" is the coefficient of friction
Correct. Collect your gold star from the gate boarding agent!
Page down to find the right paragraph: Friction - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coefficient_of_friction#Coefficient_of_friction)