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    Airfield markings (Noun. Plural.) - mundane, boring. Look up 'unsexy', and next to its definition will be a picture of 24R. As an airport marking consultant, I find that I have slightly more interest in the unsexy than most. You may find it hard to believe, but friends and family have suggested I get a life. Most don't understand the challenge it can be to analyze and prescribe solutions in marking application and maintenance. But there are many who think that applying paint to pavement is pretty simple. Who would ever think that equipment designed to do it can cost well over $250,000? How can anything that 'easy' require such sophisticated equipment?

    Well, to be honest, you can go the budget route. There's plenty of evidence to show that some go to the local hardware store and buy a bunch of rollers and put the paint down that way. Not well, but fresh paint almost always looks better at first; almost always. And then there's the matter of applying the 'reflective media', the glass beads. Since most airfield markings require the use of glass beads for better nighttime visibility, the same folks that go to the hardware store might spring for a fertilizer spreader... or not, and just elect to hand-throw them. You get what you pay for.

    If you were a pilot maneuvering on this airfield, which marking would you prefer to see?

    I'm not suggesting that airports invest in expensive striping equipment to get these results. There are a few qualified contractors who already have and who can do it right.

    But, if the marking is required to be visible at night, how is it that so many airports have markings that look like this? But you have to go out at night to see them, and most of us have other things to do at that time!

    Few people ever see how bad they can be during nighttime or low visibility conditions, except of course the pilots who sometimes get disoriented. If a sign is unlit, the bulb is replaced. If a taxiway light is malfunctioning, a request is made to fix it. A marking with poor reflectivity in night time conditions is like an unlit sign: useless and dangerous. There are costs associated with having effective markings; but for safety's sake, it's a good investment.

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