Back to Webletter

    Do you remember when you were in high school when it finally hit you that you were approaching graduation and that you needed to do something about your grade point average (GPA) to qualify for college? It's great when you realize that in your freshman year, and maintain a 3.5-4.0 throughout high school. But for many of us, it wasn't until the end of our sophomore year or even in our junior year that we started thinking about college. When the GPA was only 2.3, and a 3.5 was a minimum for the college of choice, the heat was on.

    So for the first year and a half or so, grades were incidental to our high school experience; then suddenly they became a priority. What a struggle to get from a 2.3 to a 3.5! No more going out with friends during the week, no more watching TV or playing video games after school; it was all about studying and getting the grades.

    You're wondering how I'm going to relate this to airport markings, so here it goes.

    Scenario One: When markings are installed well on a newly paved surface, subsequent maintenance on those markings outside of the wheel path is minimized for at least two or more years. Granted, the centerline will have to be maintained more often because of rubber build up or wear, but the majority of the markings on the airfield is outside of the wheel path and will last much longer.

    Scenario Two: When markings are installed poorly, maintenance will happen sooner. And if they are applied poorly again, maintenance will again occur in a short period of time. After just a year and a half or so of this cycle, the paint starts to build up and peel; and now you have a much bigger problem. Now you have to clean or remove the markings, taking much more time and incurring at least twice the expense. Or, you could keep painting over peeling paint, but that would be a continuation of the same cycle. Sadly, that's what many airports do.

    Going back to scenario one, let's say after three years, some of the markings outside of the wheel path are wearing and need to be maintained. The best practice would be to clean them with high-pressure waterblasting to remove the oxidized paint particles, and apply fresh materials. The airport realizes a huge savings from less frequent maintenance as well as not having to deal with paint build up. That's kind of like taking an AP exam (advanced placement), earning a good score, and getting credit for History 101 in college before you ever get there.

    Doing the job right at the outset, whether concentrating on one's education or installing airfield markings, yields the best results, and requires the least amount of work and stress in the long run... a best practice. Need help with your GPA? Sightline can be your tutor - send me an email to find out how.

Back to Webletter