Runway 19/01 opens again to sorties Published March 15, 2010 By Minty Knighton Team Eglin Public A EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Runway 19/01 has reopened to air traffic after a six-month repaving and construction. "All Eglin runways have to be redone," said Mr. Timothy Gunnison, manager for Eglin Base Operations. "Once the pavement gets old, it loses its structural and surface integrity." As an Air Force standard, runways are repaired every 10 to 15 years according to Mr. Gunnison. "Once you lose that structural and surface integrity, that causes problems. As the surface begins to break apart, it causes FOD (Foreign Object Debris), which can be inhaled into the engines causing major damage to aircraft. As the runway loses structure it can't support the weight of so many aircraft landings." With the reopening of runway 19/01, Eglin will be back to business as usual with two working runways including 12/30, but only for a few months. After Eglin's air show, runway 12/30 will undergo the same repair and maintenance as runway 19/01. Downtime for runway 12/30 will be approximately six months.