Runway contamination

활주로가 눈·슬러시·물로 덮여 마찰이 떨어진 상황입니다. 그러면 이착륙 거리가 길어져 성능 재계산이 핵심 — 한계를 넘으면 기다리거나 회항합니다. "오염이 심할수록 거리가 더 필요하다"처럼 비례를 말하니, 문법은 the + 비교급, the + 비교급 이에요.

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1. Scenario

I was the Captain of HL123, preparing to depart when the runway became contaminated with slush after a snow shower.

A contaminated runway has less friction, so the takeoff distance becomes longer and the performance margins get smaller. The more contaminated the runway is, the longer the distance we need. Because of that, we could not just use our normal numbers.

We asked the tower for the latest runway condition and braking action. We also asked whether the runway could be swept and how long that would take, because the alternative — a shorter treated runway — did not give us the length we needed. They gave us a treatment estimate of about fifteen minutes, so we recalculated our performance for the contaminated runway in the meantime.

The numbers showed we were close to our limit, so we decided not to rush. We took the treatment delay rather than depart on marginal numbers, and asked the tower to update us the moment the braking action improved.

Once the runway had been cleared and the braking action was reported as good, we recalculated again and departed safely.

2. At a Glance

English — The runway became contaminated with slush, which reduces friction and lengthens the takeoff and landing distance. The key is to get the latest runway condition and braking action, then recalculate the performance — the more contaminated the runway, the more distance you need. If the numbers are tight, do not rush: wait for the runway to be treated, or divert. We delayed until the braking action improved, recalculated, and departed safely.

한국어 — 활주로가 슬러시로 오염돼 마찰이 줄고 이착륙 거리가 길어졌습니다. 핵심은 최신 활주로 상태·제동 정보를 받아 성능을 재계산하는 것 — 오염이 심할수록 더 긴 거리가 필요합니다. 수치가 빠듯하면 무리하지 말고 정비를 기다리거나 회항. 우리는 제동이 나아질 때까지 기다렸다가 재계산하고 안전하게 출발했습니다.

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3. Key Verbs

contaminate

뜻: 오염시키다 (수동: be contaminated)

• The runway was contaminated with slush.
• A runway contaminated by snow has less friction.

recalculate

뜻: 재계산하다

• We recalculated our takeoff performance.
• We recalculated the numbers for the contaminated runway.

assess

뜻: 판단하다

• We assessed the runway condition and the margins.
• We assessed whether the performance was adequate.

request

뜻: 요청하다

• We requested the latest runway condition.
• We requested the braking action report.

delay

뜻: 지연시키다

• We delayed until the runway was treated.
• We chose to delay rather than depart with tight margins.

consider

뜻: 고려하다

• We considered waiting or diverting.
• We considered the performance carefully.

confirm

뜻: 확인하다

• We confirmed the braking action with the tower.
• We confirmed the numbers before departure.

improve

뜻: 나아지다

• The braking action improved after treatment.
• We waited until conditions improved.

monitor

뜻: 계속 확인하다

• We monitored the runway condition updates.
• We monitored the weather while we waited.

depart

뜻: 출발하다

• We departed safely once the numbers were good.
• We were ready to depart after the recalculation.

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4. Key Expressions & Collocations

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5. Vocabulary

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6. Sentence Frames

빈칸만 갈아끼우면 다른 성능·판단 상황에도 그대로 씁니다.

• The runway became contaminated with ____. → The runway became contaminated with slush.
• The more contaminated the runway is, the longer ____. → … the longer the distance we need.
• We asked the tower for ____ and the braking action report. → … for the latest runway condition and the braking action report.
• The numbers showed we were close to our limit, so we ____. → … so we took the treatment delay rather than rush.
• Once ____, we recalculated and departed safely. → Once the runway had been cleared, we recalculated and departed safely.

오늘의 표현 포인트 — "The more contaminated the runway is, the longer the distance we need." 두 가지가 함께 변하는 관계를 the + 비교급, the + 비교급으로 말하는 틀.

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7. Common Mistakes → Better Phrasing

한국인이 자주 쓰는 틀리거나 약한 표현을, 시험에서 통하는 표현으로 바꿔 익히세요.

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8. Grammar Point — Proportion (the + 비교급, the + 비교급)

두 가지가 함께 커지거나 작아지는 관계는 the + 비교급 …, the + 비교급 … 형태로 말합니다.

• The more contaminated the runway is, the longer the distance we need.
• The worse the braking action, the more runway we use.
• The earlier we get the report, the better we can plan.

핵심: "The + 비교급 …, the + 비교급 …" = "~할수록 더 …하다". 성능·기상 변화를 설명할 때 자연스럽습니다.

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9. Model Answer — Q1

"What happened to your aircraft? Explain the nature of the incident."

틀은 자유 — 무슨 일 → 어떻게 대처 → 결과 흐름이면 됩니다.

I was the Captain, preparing to depart, when the runway became contaminated with slush after a snow shower. A contaminated runway has less friction, so the takeoff distance becomes longer and the margins get smaller. The more contaminated the runway is, the longer the distance we need, so we could not just use our normal numbers.

We asked the tower for the latest runway condition and braking action. We also asked whether the runway could be swept and how long that would take, because the alternative — a shorter treated runway — did not give us the length we needed. They gave us a treatment estimate of about fifteen minutes, so we recalculated our performance for the contaminated runway in the meantime.

The numbers showed we were close to our limit, so we decided not to rush. We took the treatment delay rather than depart on marginal numbers, and asked the tower to update us the moment the braking action improved.

Once the runway had been cleared and the braking action was reported as good, we recalculated again and departed safely. The key was getting the real runway condition and recalculating, instead of assuming normal performance.

10. Model Answer — Q2

"How do you think ATC handled the situation? Could it have been handled differently?"

Q2 = ATC 평가로 의견 표현을 익히는 자리. 아래는 한 예시 — 외워서 그대로 쓰지 말고, 시작·마무리 표현은 자유롭게 바꿔 보세요.

On reflection, ATC gave us exactly the information we needed. When we asked how long treatment would take, they gave us a clear fifteen-minute estimate, which let us decide to wait rather than gamble on marginal numbers. They kept us updated as the runway was treated and confirmed the braking action as good, so we knew exactly when it was safe to recalculate and go.

My only suggestion would be a projection of the next shower, because a treated runway does not stay clean for long. On balance, though, their clear reports let us make a safe performance decision.

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11. Follow-up Q&A

1. Why recalculate the performance? → A contaminated runway has less friction and longer distances, so the normal numbers no longer apply and we must check we are within limits.
2. What information do you need? → The latest runway condition and the braking action report, plus the type and depth of the contamination.
3. Why did you delay? → The numbers were close to our limit, so we waited for the runway to be treated rather than depart with tight margins.
4. What if the performance is still not enough? → We would wait longer, use a longer runway if available, reduce weight, or divert — we do not depart outside the limits.

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12. Shadowing Sentences

각 문장을 3~5번 소리 내어 따라 하세요.

1. The runway became contaminated with slush after a snow shower.
2. A contaminated runway has less friction.
3. The more contaminated the runway is, the longer the distance we need.
4. We asked the tower for the latest runway condition.
5. We requested the braking action report.
6. We recalculated our takeoff performance.
7. The numbers showed we were close to our limit.
8. We took the treatment delay rather than depart on marginal numbers.
9. The braking action was later reported as good.
10. We recalculated again and departed safely.

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다 읽었으면, 위 문장 구조 몇 개를 골라 30초만 직접 말해보세요. 화면에서 녹음하고 ICAO 6영역 채점을 받아보고 싶다면 EPTA Coach에서 1회차를 무료로 열어둡니다.