Apalachicola airport runways to thin for expanded military use

It turns out the concrete on the runways at the Apalachicola airport is not as thick as the air force thought, and that will keep the military from expanding its uses there.

It had been assumed in Air Force documents that the concrete was between 8 to 10 inches thick in all areas where planes would land or taxi.

With that assumption the Air Force was considering designating the Apalachicola airport as a Forward Area Refueling Point for various training exercises and missions.

After the Civil Engineer Center took core samples from about 95 sites, however, they determined that the actual concrete thickness is actually between 4 and 7 inches.

And while that is plenty for private aircraft, it is not thick enough to support the type of planes the air force was considering using.

So the airport will not be part of any expansion of Forward Area Refueling Point training missions by the US Air Force though it will continue to be used for training by Special Forces. 

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