How well do you know the Canadian Runway Friction Index (CRFI)?

As we move into the winter months here in Canada, this seems like some great information to review! So whether you’re taking your Private Pilot Ground School or your Commercial Pilot Ground School… this is a great reminder ALL of us!

Pilot Tip – Canadian Runway Friction Index (CRFI)

[00:00:00] So, in your Pilot Operating Handbook, you probably have some information about crosswind landings. And, what I need you to understand is that any number that’s given in the Pilot Operating Handbook is given for a dry, usually paved, runway. So think about that. Those are the optimum conditions. 

[00:00:30] So when we talk about a contaminated runway, what we’re talking about is a runway that’s probably got ice on it or rain or whatever, and that affects the friction. 

[00:00:44] So what we have here is a chart that sort of attempts to quantify how slippery certain conditions will make the runway. And this particular chart you can find in the Aeronautical [00:01:00] Information Manual. It’s also in the Canada Flight Supplement, it’s in the front page. 

[00:01:08] And, essentially, what this is trying to show you is, if the runway is bare and dry, as it is shown on the top, right, you’re going to be able to get maximum braking.

[00:01:18] If you’re hydroplaning cause you you’re riding on standing water, you’re not going to get much, much braking at all. Basically zero. And it quantifies it at the bottom. 

[00:01:31] You know, there’s a decimal point number between zero and one and they call that the C R F I equivalent. So if you want to understand what the equivalent part means, I guess you have to understand what the CRFI is.

[00:01:47] And the CRFI stands for Canadian Runway Friction Index. And it’s simply how we quantify how slippery the runway is. Typically at [00:02:00] an airport where they have the facilities, this is determined by using a decelerator, which is a fancy way of saying they go out on the runway in some kind of vehicle, accelerate to a set speed, and jam on the brakes.

[00:02:14] And the longer it takes to skid to a stop, the more slippery the runway is, and it spits out a number between zero and one. That’s the runway friction index. 

[00:02:24] You may not have that equipment available to you or that “report” available to you. But this gives you an idea of what conditions are going to be… for better or worse.

[00:02:37] And you can see that ice and snow, depending whether it’s packed, sanded, temperature, that kind of thing are going to affect how slippery the runway is.