“It’s not that it’s a hard job – it’s just a continuous job,” says the YSJ equipment operator.
Every summer, beginning when temperatures warm in mid-May, Ray and the maintenance team spend about three weeks repainting both runways. It takes three people: one operates the line-painting machine while two mark the beginning and end of each line with boards, helping keep every edge crisp and even.
The markings must meet precise Transport Canada standards. Only white and yellow paint can be used, and glass beads are added to the centre lines to make them reflective at night. On YSJ’s main runway, the three-foot-wide edge lines stretch 7,000 feet along each side.
Even with careful preparation, conditions can complicate the work. Wind can push the paint off line, while the pavement radiates heat back at the crew. Painting must also fit between flights. The team co-ordinates with the control tower and clears the runway at least 15 minutes before an aircraft arrives or departs.
Ray began as a seasonal operator in December 2001 and joined the airport full time in 2009. More than two decades later, he still values the independence employees are given and the shared sense of responsibility among YSJ’s maintenance team.
“Everything has a task,” he says. “Everything has a purpose, and it has to be done a certain way at a certain time.”