The Airport Loses
By Donna Speidel

For the first time, one of my Quality Control (QC) technicians was told (and I'm paraphrasing) "to go fly a kite" during the inspection of new marking application last month. The wind was gusting at 40mph on the runway that day, so in all fairness, flying a kite was a relatively good idea compared to applying paint and glass beads...

The new concrete runway project kept sliding back on the calendar, but the revised timeline predicted the pavement would finally be given back to the sponsor airport in December. As is customary, the striping subcontractor was scheduled to put one of the finishing touches on the project. We were hired to provide QC during the marking installation for the consulting engineer.

Despite calibrating the striping equipment and painting a test strip to establish a standard for quality, my QC technician continued to see uniformity issues from high winds blowing the reflective glass beads and recommended further adjustments. After adjusting wind shrouds and making several attempts to achieve a uniform line, QC suggested they suspend painting and wait for weather conditions to improve. However, with a deadline for completion inching closer, the prime contractor found a technicality in the standard P-620 specifications.

The prime contractor pointed out the project specifications for painting stated:

"[Equipment] shall produce an even and uniform film thickness at the required coverage and shall apply markings of uniform cross-sections and clear-cut edges without running or spattering and without over spray."
- FAA Advisory Circular 150/5370-10G, P-620-3.2 Equipment.

No mention was/is made of uniform glass bead distribution. Of course, we believe it is implied; however, technically speaking, we could not enforce uniform glass bead coverage, and we went shopping for that kite.

The original project schedule likely did not account for December weather, the prime contractor may have been facing potential liquidated damages, and the subcontractor was reputable, qualified, and well aware of best practices... but the sponsor airport still lost.

This sort of thing isn't some random outlier. This result isn't an aberration. The airport loses more than any of us know. Occasionally, I hear negative comments from engineers about their painting subcontractors, but most often it comes from the airport paint crews who inherit substandard markings that come from new construction projects.

We owe it to our airport sponsors and tax payers to ensure we are being good stewards of those project dollars. Using Sightline's tailored painting specifications will make sure you don't get left blowin' in the wind.

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