A gravel kit is a modification on an aircraft to avoid foreign object debris (FOD) damage or ingestion while operating on unpaved surfaces. Modifications generally include methods of preventing the nose gear spraying FOD into the engine and onto the underside of the fuselage or wings, and methods of preventing each engine from ingesting FOD from the ground directly in front of it. Examples of planes that can be fitted with this upgrade include the

Boeing 737-200 The Boeing 737 is a narrow-body aircraft produced by Boeing at its Renton Factory in Washington. Developed to supplement the Boeing 727 on short and thin routes, the twinjet retains the 707 fuselage width and six abreast seating with two u ...

, which includes a gravel deflector (similar in appearance to a wide ski) mounted to the nose wheel, and vortex dissipators, using compressor bleed air, in front of each engine. This modification was used by

Alaska Airlines Alaska Airlines is a major American airline headquartered in SeaTac, Washington, within the Seattle metropolitan area. It is the sixth largest airline in North America when measured by fleet size, scheduled passengers carried, and the num ...

for many years, and is still employed by

Air Inuit Air Inuit ( Inuktitut syllabics: ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᖃᖓᑦᑕᔪᖏᑦ) is an airline based in the Montreal borough of Saint-Laurent, Quebec, Canada. It operates domestic passenger services and charter and cargo services in Nunavik, Labrador a ...

Canadian North Bradley Air Services, operating as Canadian North, is a wholly Inuit-owned airline headquartered in Kanata, Ontario, Canada. It operates scheduled passenger services to communities in the Northwest Territories, Nunavut and the Nunavik region ...

Air North Air North Charter and Training Ltd., operating as , is a Canadian airline based in Whitehorse, Yukon. It operates scheduled passenger and cargo flights throughout Yukon, as well as between Yukon and the Northwest Territories, British Columbia ...

Nolinor Aviation Les Investissements Nolinor Inc., trading as Nolinor Aviation, is a charter airline based in Mirabel, a suburb of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It operates passenger charter and cargo services within Canada and to the U.S. Its main base is Montré ...

and

First Air Bradley Air Services Limited, operating as First Air, was an airline headquartered in Kanata, a suburb of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.Boeing 727 The Boeing 727 is an American narrow-body airliner that was developed and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. After the heavy 707 quad-jet was introduced in 1958, Boeing addressed the demand for shorter flight lengths from smaller airpo ...

s were also fitted with specific gravel kits on the nose wheel, while the rest were fitted with devices in the form of smaller deflectors than those used on the 737, used on all wheels, to deflect FOD away so as to prevent the rear-mounted engines from ingesting FOD from a runway. Another rear-engined aircraft—the

McDonnell Douglas DC-9 The McDonnell Douglas DC-9 is an American five-abreast single-aisle aircraft designed by the Douglas Aircraft Company. It was initially produced by the developer company as the Douglas DC-9 until August 1967 and then by McDonnell Douglas. Afte ...

/ MD-80/

MD-90 The McDonnell Douglas (later Boeing) MD-90 is an American five-abreast single-aisle airliner developed by McDonnell Douglas from its successful model MD-80. The airliner was produced by the developer company until 1997 and then by Boeing Comme ...

and

Boeing 717 The Boeing 717 is an American five-abreast single-aisle airliner produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The twin-engine airliner was developed for the 100-seat market and originally marketed by McDonnell Douglas as the MD-95. It was a shor ...

series—uses deflectors similar to those of the conventionally-equipped 727 on all their aircraft's landing gear to prevent FOD structural damage and ingestion. File:737-200 Gravelkit.jpg, Canadian North 737-200 engine gravel kit vortex dissipator File:737-200 Gravelkit profile view.jpg, Canadian North 737-200 engine gravel kit vortex dissipator in profile view File:C-GANV landing in Vancouver.jpg, Gravel kit on a landing Air North 737-200 File:FAB B732 C-GNWN at Cambridge Bay Airport.JPG, Gravel kit on a First Air 737-200

External links

{{commons category inline, Gravelkits Aircraft components