Having stumble on this site today it is with some dismay that I read the snow clearance comments and indeed the attitudes of some to a problem that we were "on top of" some years ago. You hit the nail on the head. The biggest single reason for delaying recovery of the Runway and movements areas is the tyre tracks left by OC Ops, the padre and others discovering there was snow present. One post specifically mentioned "ice ridges" defeated current eqipment and prevented use of runway. Any form of towed snow clearance equipment such as Sicard Brushes leave tyre tracks as do snow ploughs. The much criticised MRDs needed to be understood. The key is to leave the paved surface DRY not wet for icing. It takes timing to do this without removing the surface too. In my three winters at one (secret) airfield in a cabbage patch in Kent, our 9000ft by 200ft (up to 600ft) wide runway was closed for falling snow, but after that was closed for a day only once by ice because we could not use chemicals and got caught by several weather changes ending in 25 kt winds at minus 5. OK, team work, equipment and hard work but the key was the then CO kept everyone OFF the runway and most movement areas until the snow stopped. I love the snow since I retired. Quernrigger
