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    Some people think the rules don't apply to them. Many of us, me included, push the speed limit to 74 mph in a 65 mph speed zone. Coming over a hill one day, while passing a car, I noticed the state trooper sitting on the side of the road and knew I had been caught. About a mile down the road, I pulled over with the trooper right behind me. I explained that I've passed troopers frequently going 8-9 miles over the speed limit; and the troopers don't budge, until now. Even though I had become accustomed to speeding, the trooper was justified in writing me a ticket; but he didn't. He gave me a warning. Some of us are lucky like that occasionally. But living in a society steeped with rules, regulations and laws, most of us elect to abide by those laws, most of the time.

    Advisory circulars, although not actual rules or laws, are written to govern the way commercial airfield markings are installed. But these specifications are sometimes misunderstood or even ignored. Frequently, inspections do not turn up the infractions with markings that the more obvious burned out taxiway lights do. Because installers of airfield markings have become accustomed to doing it the way it's always been done, poor methods for the maintenance of those markings have become an "industry standard".

    Recently while on an airport, I was talking with one of the maintenance supervisors about the methods they used to clean and paint the markings. "Oh, we don't do anything to clean them," he responded, "we just come out here and paint." "Does the paint machine have glass bead guns for applying the beads?" I asked. "No, only the contractors have to comply with those specifications," he answered; "we throw them by hand."

    Airport maintenance workers might only apply markings part of the time. Whenever they get a moment free from mowing the grass, replacing lights, and the multitude of other jobs relegated to the maintenance staff, they might load up the painting equipment and go out onto the airfield surface to paint some lines. Some of the equipment, if hand machines, are without automatic glass bead dispensers, so there is one person on the crew designated as the "bead thrower".

    The fact is that the advisory circulars really do apply to anyone installing airfield markings. So even though that's how it's always been done, it's time to reassess some of those practices. The advisory circular makes for great bedtime reading!

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