COLORADO NINETY-NINES AIRMARKING

Airmarking is done to identify airports by painting the name of an airport on a ramp or taxi way. It may also be the painting of a compass rose on a ramp to be used to 'swing a compass' in an aircraft. For the history of airmarking see the airmarking page on the International website.

In 2009, the Colorado Chapter did a compass rose at Metro (BJC), and repainted the airport name and identifier at Granby, CO (GNB).  If you would like more information on airmarking or would like to make arrangements to have one done at your airport, please contact our Airmarking Chairman, Jan McKenzie at mckenjn@yahoo.com.

Our next airmarking will be on September 11, 2010 at Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (BJC) in Broomfield, Colorado.

September 2005 - Airport name and repainted, glass-beaded runway numbers at Granby Airport (GNB) , Granby, CO

Started on Saturday afternoon to lay out the name on a new ramp area. Completed on Sunday morning with the help of local EAA members and Friends of Granby Airport.

Layout                        To the West                                    To the East

  Lunch                                            The Crew

July 2005 - Airport name and Segmented Circle at Longmont Airport (2V2) , Longmont, CO

Due to the extreme heat (105 reported, who knows what it really was on the taxiway) we didn't get completed the first try. Finished on September 24 when more paint was available and the weather was a little cooler. click here for report & pictures. 

May 2005 - Compass Rose at Jefferson County Airport (BJC), Broomfield, CO

The Colorado Chapter Ninety-nines and the Jeffco Compass Rose
By Margot Plummer

What do you get when you mix 35 Ninety-Nines, gallons and gallons of blue and white paint and donuts to make you smile?  You get a compass rose painted in a record three hours.  Unheard of you say?  Not so!  Here is the story:

It was a beautiful morning at Jeffco Airport (BJC) Saturday, May 14^th.  Airmarking committee chairman, Jan McKenzie, made sure we had the right stuff J to get the job done.  Masking tape could be heard tearing off their rolls over the din of Cessnas and jets taking off a short distance down the runway.  Rollers on long poles and tiny, cute rollers for the close spots were the necessities and enough donuts for a flock of pilots (donuts and coffee courtesy of the Jeffco maintenance department - Thanks Guys!!).

Since there had been a compass painted before, which was tired and worn, the laying out of the new and improved compass rose was a little easier.  Out came the chains and chalk.  Everyone was making circles and marking asphalt. 

Chalk lines, made with a twang, were by done by Ninety-nines and Forty-nine-point-fives alike.  Thank goodness those fellows came along, the donuts made them smile, too. 

The weather was perfect; with an occasional cloud scudding on in shade us. 

After the cleanup was accomplished, a Jeffco fireman rolled in with his truck and enough height to take a group photo of the new, fabulous compass rose and the Ninety-nines, with smiles, waves and a few leftover donuts.

A slide show can be view at this Internet site:
http://www.photoworks.com/share/shareLanding.jsp?shareCode=AAA5542BC3A&cb=PW

September 2004 - Compass Rose at Front Range Airport (FTG), Watkins, CO

On Sept. 11, thirty four pilots assembled at Front Range airport to lay out and paint a traditional 99s compass rose. The date made it a fitting memorial to the 9/11 tragedy and it also symbolized the continuing vitality of American general aviation. Our “art work” can be found at the run-up area of Runway 26. Thanks to Peggy Long’s well-timed write-up in the Crosswind Chatter, brochure at the Front Range Airport, and leaflet information in the CPA Flightlines newsletter, we had the largest airmarking group in Chapter history. 

The morning kicked off with fresh pastries and coffee provided by Peggy. The group was among the most efficient we had ever seen, completing the blue and white 12-pointer in the record time of three hours. Local pilots and even Larry Pace, an Adams County Commissioner, joined in the painting and fun. The pinnacle of our royal treatment was a sit-down, multiple course lunch — again provided by Peggy Long and served in her hanger. She certainly set a new standard for Airmarkings!  Her efforts were greatly appreciated by all.

Layout                                        Masking the points                    Painting the White

Painting the Blue                        Almost Done                            Finishing touches

To see lots more pictures, click here - Margot's Photo Album

June 2004 - Compass Rose at Rock Springs, WY (RKS)

  Getting Started                        Lunch                                       From the Air

Mayo Aviation Learjet flown by Chapter member Mari Murayama checking out our work.

August 9, 2003 - Name, Frequency, et al at Granby (GNB)

Getting Ready                           Is This Fun or What??              The Crew

On Saturday, August 9, 2003, we went back to Granby with the assignment to re-paint what we had done 4 years ago! The weather was absolutely beautiful and we had about 20 people assisting with the painting. A few members took the opportunity to fly but most of us took the long way in our vehicles. We re-painted "Granby 123.0" on the ramp, the numbers "9" and "27" on the runway, and "123.0" on the taxiway. The folks at the airport had told us that the paint was faded, but we never expected the old paint had weathered as much as it did! It was so bad, that it was difficult to find the outline in certain places. We didn't have templates with us, so we used chalk and a measuring tape to lay it out. Unfortunately, it didn't come out as perfect as we usually do, but according to Jan; it looks great from the air. Linda Horn laid out the interlocking 99's logo by memory and it was perfect - everyone was quite impressed! We were done by 11:30 and most of the group went to lunch in Granby for some hangar flying.

June 21, 2003 - Compass Rose at Longmont (2V2)

      On June 21, 2003, the first day of summer, we painted another compass rose. A group of more than twenty Colorado 99s and friends gathered at the end of runway 29 at Vance Brand Airport in Longmont, Colorado to layout and paint the traditional 99s compass rose design on the run-up area.  Although the county had marked the compass headings the layout crew were surprised that the run-up area would only accommodate a 50’ rose instead of our traditional 80’ rose. Thanks to the fast thinking of both Linda Horn and Jan McKenzie, the layout team reduced the design to 50’. Before 9 am the 99s were spreading the white paint, the background color for the center circle.
     The timing of our project was particularly advantageous because on June 28^th and 29, the EAA Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-in, attended by thousands of flying enthusiasts, saw our handiwork
    Airport Manager, Tim Barth grilled hamburgers and hotdogs for our lunch. Ninety-nine member Carol Leyner, owner of Colorado Classic Aircraft, welcomed us into her offices to enjoy our lunch out of the 85 degree heat.  Thank you to both Tim and Carol for the hospitality and all the 99s for their great support and expertise in painting the compass rose.

November 2002 - Compass Rose at Fort Collins/Loveland (FNL)

 
Painting                                    All Done                                     From the Air

For further information, contact the Colorado 99s Webmaster

Last Updated: 14 August, 2010

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