Airport Business - 21

PAINTING & STRIPING
a presentation to FAA inspectors two
years ago and about half of those in
attendance noted a gap in training for
workers applying markings.
Specifically, inspectors saw issues
with glass bead distribution and
application.
"Since I've been around, I've seen a
lot of different marking configurations
added and more markings don't
necessarily increase situational awareness,"
Speidel said. "If it's not applied well,
those markings are essentially useless."
Airports have traditionally used
striping equipment meant for parking
lots and roads due to a lack of options
on the market. Some airfield-specific
equipment has become available in recent
years, which can include pressurized bead
dispensing systems properly mounted
to equipment. Speidel said you need
something that will provide both
performance and durability.
"You have to have the right tool
for the job," Speidel said. "You can
train all day, but if you don't have
something that's going to be able to
produce what you're trying to get out
of it, it's just a battle."
Speidel said training programs need
to talk about standards. There are a lot
of airports with markings in the wrong
place or using the wrong marking
patterns and they're not even aware of it.
"The course needs to be from design
to line," he said. "You don't just start
talking about paint and how to put it
down. It really needs to start from a
project design aspect because so many
issues we see in the field can be mitigated
if you have a good design."
Sightline developed a program called
the Airfield Marking Professional (AMP)
in anticipation of the new training
regulation.
The FA A introduced a new
regulation in 2019 under AC5340-1M,
stating all surface markings painted with
stencils can't leave gaps. Airports also
can't hand paint the gaps either because
the painting where the stencil bridge will
not be congruent if glass beads are hand
thrown on the hand painted areas.
Beth Bell, owner of Pavement Stencil
Co., said they designed a new stencil
template with a raised bridge to allow
paint and beads to eliminate the need for
going back to paint again. The painting

machine runs over the stencil, but the
space allows the paint and beads to roll
under the bridges.
"Every time we've met with airfield
guys or contractors they will always
say 'golly, I wish we didn't have to have
the breaks in there and you could do
something about it,'" she said. "Now
there are a number of airports out there
using them."
Charlotte-Douglas International
Airport (CLT) tested the product for the
company, Bell said. They demonstrated it
at the Tulsa International Airport in 2019.
They're now being used at airports
like Los Angeles International Airport
(LAX), Boston Logan International
Airport (BOS) Pittsburgh International
Airport (PIT), CLT and Winnipeg
International Airport (YWG).
"It's important for safety and it saves
them time, money and energy," she said.
Bell said there isn't a need for
additional training either. The stencil
works the same as a traditional unit so
they paint in the same fashion.

Discover Equipment
Options
Denny Tooker, director of sales and
marketing for EZ-Liner, said there
are a lot of different options available
for airports when it comes to striping
equipment, especially when it comes to
technology. Depending on the budget,
it's not necessary to have the most
advanced equipment to get the job done.
Airports can opt for skip timers while
a lot of them are still using shingles at the
end of a paint line to get a crisp cutoff.
"A lot of them just want to keep it
simple if they're not painting a lot," said
Norm Scholten, truck project manager
for EZ-Liner. "Some of them just use on/
off switches to run the guns, they don't
have a fancy operator cab, just a canopy.
An airport investing in new airfield
technology may consider Waterblasting.
Adam Baldwin, vice president of
marketing for Hog Technologies, said
waterblasting allows airports to remove
paint without causing the excessive
environmental impact caused by
traditional chemical removal methods.
One machine uses and recaptures water
to remove paint and rubber.
Traditional chemical removal is
expensive, takes several machines and

Airports using waterblasting
units use them for regular
rubber removal and prepping for
repainting lines.
HOG TECHNOLOGIES

all the debris runs off into the grass area,
creating environmental issues.
"It's so much more versatile than
cleaning up rubber on the runways,"
Baldwin said. "It can also rejuvenate the
pavement and paint markings around the
airport."
Using a waterblaster to clean lines
shows an airport it doesn't always have to
repaint markings. Michael Lettengarver,
senior director of North American sales
for Hog Technologies, said some airports
use them daily to clean surfaces.
The technology removes rubber from
the centerline without damaging paint.
"Ever y a ir por t that ow ns a
waterblaster like ours does more cleaning
than anything," Lettengarver said.

APRIL 2020 \ AVIATIONPROS.COM / 21
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Airport Business

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