Opinion

Wrong term used on airline delays

Posted December 07, 2011 7:00 am

Regarding your “Tarmac” delay article in the Dec. 1 business section, please be advised that there is no such area on an airport that is listed as Tarmac. There is no such reference in the Aeronautical Information Manual, the pilots’ bible on all aspects of aviation. Areas on the airport are the runway, taxiway and apron. Tarmac, short for tarmacadam or tar-penetration macadam, is a type of paving material, patented by Edgar Purnell Hooley in 1901. It is also a registered trademark, and is widely-but wrongly- used as a generic term for tar-based paving surfaces.

Also in the article was mention of J.R. “Randy” Babbitt, a former Eastern Airlines captain and now administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration. I have known Randy for 45 years, and he is a former president of the Air Line Pilots Association, so he has experience in all facets of aviation. I feel aviation is in good hands for many years.

Tom Helms

Lake Villa

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