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    In our first day of our Airfield Marking Symposiums, I take the time to address some common misconceptions prevalent in our industry - marking myths, if you will. These myths are in large part responsible for why airport markings are not as good as they should and could be. Today, I'm busting the myth, "Painting Every Year Is Necessary - Especially In Winter Environments":

    In Virginia, we endured a long winter with snowfall and freezing temperatures right through March. Finally, it warmed up and felt like Spring for one day, then it felt like June, now we're settling for April showers. The warming trend has been punctuated by the sounds of blossoms exploding on tree limbs and engines firing up on paint trucks.

    The warm weather at airports means it's time to store the snow removal equipment and prepare the mowers and paint machines. Afterall, the grass is going to grow whether you decide to cut it or not. The pavement markings, however, may or may not require maintenance.

    I hear all the time from the airports that they have no other choice but to repaint everything every year to stay in compliance; but that's not necessarily true. When I debate with them, they explain how snowplows, sweepers, and chemicals tear up the markings. Perhaps that's because their methods to date have required painting every year irrespective of need. Perhaps the paint comes up because it is poorly bonded from lack of surface preparation or because the profile on the markings is so thick it is a bullseye for a snowplow blade. Perhaps there's a better way than "the way it has always been done".

    The root of this issue is the challenge of defining which markings need maintenance. Unlike a lightbulb, markings degrade slowly, and airports have difficulties determining what to paint each year. As a result, they paint everything knowing that the broken stuff will get covered up - the way they always have done it.

    There's a better way.

    Pavement markings can last longer than a year when applied properly. Now, I'm not referring to the runway centerline or lead off lines, or even the taxiway centerline that might sustain heavy traffic every day. I'm referring to the other 90% of square footage out there that is outside of the wheel path that isn't worn away by traffic or obscured by rubber deposits. However, even those markings, if applied well initially, may survive cleaning with waterblasting to bring them back to life. Further, if the profiles are modest, may even survive snow and ice removal operations.

    So it is a myth. Painting everything every year is not necessary. Granted, the centerline and lead off lines might need more mainteanance than the rest, but isn't maintaining as needed a more attractive alternative? Airports should regard the markings as something to be preserved rather than over-painted. Perhaps then the cycle would be broken and the myth would be busted, once and for all.

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