Coatings Shed Light on Airplane Maintenance

Chuck Ertwine, Chief of Maintenance in the St. Paul Companies aviation department, is certainly no stranger to airplane hangar upkeep. With over 20 years in the business, Chuck was responsible for selecting the new floor coating at the corporate jet hangar. Completed in April 1999, in St. Paul, MN, the coating was put down by Tennant Company's local Authorized Floor Coatings Contractor, Advantage Coatings, Inc.

"I've seen plenty of floors, and I've seen plenty of other floors, and from what I've seen in the aviation industry, Tennant is the best," explained Ertwine. Based on Ertwine's recommendation, the St. Paul Companies chose Tennant.

The 18,000 square-foot hangar houses the Falcon 2000 company jet and sees high traffic from maintenance personnel, flight crews, and company's executives.

"The hangar is basically a showcase for a corporate airplane," said Ertwine. "You get high-level VIPs coming through the area. The floor is the first thing people see when they come through the door and the first remark is, "My goodness, look at that floor!"

In addition to being eye candy for the company personnel and visitors, the hangar floor, coated with Tennant VOC-CRU (Chemical Resistant Urethane), assists maintenance crews with airplane upkeep. The highly reflective floor redirects overhead light to the bottom of the plan so mechanics can effectively service the aircraft.

"The light reflection is great," said Ertwine. "Working around an airplane, you need all the light you can get."