According to Mr. Godiwalla, the City of Houston was the first to use Lime, Cement, Flyash (LCF) to construct an airport pavement base, a mixture developed by Dr. Nai Yang. This was used when the South Complex Bush runway was constructed in 1986, in which 1,000,000 tons of LCF was used. The additives (based on weight) were 4.0% Lime, 0.5% Cement and 9.5% Flyash, added to 12.5% bank sand and 73.5% of aggregate. The mixture tested out with an ultimate bearing strength of 1200 psi after 6 months. However, when tested again in 2000, its strength had increased three-fold, meaning that after 14 years of curing, they had the equivalent of 3000 psi concrete in the base.

Mr. Godiwalla also spoke about runway wear surfaces, saying runway pavements had to be much smoother than highway in order to prevent landing gear damage. He spoke about a type of asphalt used decades ago at Hobby, called "Novophalt Asphalt" that performed so well that airports around the world have used it as a model for their runway surfaces. It is a polymer-modified asphalt, 35% cheaper than concrete, and a good compromise because it can withstand a higher ambient temperature (about 105 deg. F) than normal asphalt.

To read a summary of Mr. Godiwalla's's talk to the FPA in April 2002, click here.