The Inspection That Keeps Everything Moving
(A Day in the Life on a Part 139 Airfield)
When people ask me what I do at the airport, I always laugh and say, “I don’t really know.”
And that’s not totally true—I do know. It’s just that trying to explain it in one sentence is impossible.
But if I had to pick one thing that captures the heart of this job—one thing that touches almost everything we do on the airfield—it’s this:
The 139 Inspection.
Twice a day, every single day, in every kind of weather, our team drives every inch of the airfield to make sure it’s safe for aircraft operations. It’s not glamorous. It’s not flashy. And nobody claps when you’re done.
But it is one of the most important things we do.
If a plane is going to land safely, take off safely, taxi safely, get fuel safely, or avoid wildlife—
the 139 Inspection had something to do with that.
So here’s what we check.
And here’s why it matters.
Pavement Areas
The pavement is the stage airplanes perform on. If the pavement isn’t right, nothing else matters.
We’re looking for the obvious stuff—holes, cracks, debris, chunks missing—but also the subtle things: ponding water, raised lips, uneven expansion joints, anything that could become a Foreign Object Debris (FOD) hazard.
If you’ve ever seen a jet engine suck up a water bottle, you know why this matters.
(And yes, that actually happens.)
Safety Areas
These are the buffer zones around runways and taxiways—the “just in case” areas.
If a plane veers off (it happens), these areas make sure its wingtips won’t smack into anything, that there are no ditches to fall into, and that no equipment is sitting where it shouldn’t be.
Grass looks simple, but it’s one of the most important safety features at the airport.
Markings
If you’ve never driven on an airfield, it looks like the world’s most confusing paintball fight.
Centerlines, edge lines, runway numbers, hold short markings, movement/non-movement lines…
there’s a LOT of paint out there.
Pilots rely on markings the same way you and I rely on road signs, except the stakes are way higher and the speeds are way faster.
If a marking isn’t visible, isn’t aligned, or is worn down—you fix it before it becomes a problem.
Signs
Signs and markings work together.
Our signs tell pilots where they’re going, where they are, and where they need to stop.
Bravo 6, Alpha 4, Runway 28L, Hold Short Signage—you name it, it’s out there.
If you ever want to see a pilot confused, take away their taxiway signs, and airport diagram.
(Actually don’t. Please don’t.)
Lighting
If you ever want to feel a little stressed, try this:
Thousands of lights.
All over the airfield.
All different colors.
All meaning something specific.
And legally… you cannot have two consecutive lights out in a row.
If two go out?
We issue a Notice to Airmen
—or we close the runway or taxiway until it’s fixed.
Lights are a huge deal. They guide aircraft at night, in fog, in snow, and sometimes in the middle of chaos.
And you better believe we notice when one is out.
Navigational Aids
Everything that helps a pilot land safely.
The rotating beacon.
The wind indicators.
Our approach-lighting systems, glide slope indicators, and other guidance systems.
If these aren’t working, it’s not just an inconvenience.
It’s a safety risk.
And yes, it can shut down an entire runway.
Obstruction Lights
Every tall building, antenna, tower, or structure near the airport has those little red lights on top.
Those aren’t pretty decorations.
They’re life-saving warnings for aircraft.
If one of those goes out?
You guessed it, I have to make some phone calls.
Fueling Operations
Every fuel farm, fuel truck, hydrant, hose, bonding cable, fire extinguisher—we check it all.
You can’t mess around with fuel.
If you’ve ever seen a spark where a spark shouldn’t be… yeah, not fun.
Snow & Ice
If a surface isn’t clean and clear, we start snow and ice protocol. And once that starts, it’s basically a nonstop juggling act until summer.
Runway surface friction, chemical application, plowing, sweeping, deicing…
and all of it ties back into the inspection.
Construction
Right now?
We have so much of this.
Barricades, lights, detours, closures, equipment, workers… and yes, contractors who sometimes “take creative liberties” with the rules.
We’re building a new terminal, so half of what we do is making sure nothing happening out there interferes with what airplanes need to do safely.
ARFF (Fire Department)
Our Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting team needs to be ready 24/7.
We check trucks, equipment, and readiness.
Because when something goes wrong, seconds matter.
Public Protection
The entire perimeter fence.
Every gate.
Every sign that says the airport is private property.
We check for holes, unsecured areas, missing signs—anything that could allow someone (or something) to get onto the airfield.
Security is a big deal, and it doesn’t take much for a small issue to become a big one.
Wildlife
One of our biggest safety concerns.
Birds, coyotes, foxes, groundhogs, deer—anything that could end up in front of an airplane.
We use bangers, screamers, horns, lights, and sometimes just our presence to clear the area.
If wildlife and aircraft meet?
The aircraft always wins the physics battle…
but it can still end in disaster.
We Do All of This Twice a Day
But honestly?
We really do it all day long.
If I ran a full inspection start to finish without interruptions, it takes me around two hours.
But the reality is interruptions always happen:
A light goes out.
A taxiway closes.
A pilot reports standing water.
A contractor forgets a barricade.
A bird shows up.
Or the classic:
“Ops, can you check something real quick?”
The 139 Inspection isn’t a checklist.
It’s a rhythm.
It’s how we keep this entire place safe and moving.
And most passengers will never know we did it—but their planes land safely because we did.
The Final Thought
The more I do this job, the more I realize:
Airports don’t run on luck.
They run on intention, attention, and a whole lot of people who care about getting it right.
Inspections might sound routine, but they’re the backbone of safe operations.
And every time I finish one, I’m reminded:
This matters. Every single day.
Why I’m doing this
Partly because people keep asking me, “What do you do?” and I want to be able to point to something that actually shows it.
But mostly?
Because I don’t want to forget what I’m learning.
This job is crazy. It’s complicated. It’s full of nuance. You can work here for twenty years and still not know everything. And I don’t want the lessons to slip past me just because I didn’t take five minutes to write them down.
So this is my version of capturing it.
One post at a time. One story at a time. One lesson at a time.
If you’ve ever wondered what happens behind the jet bridge, out past the taxiway lights, or behind those giant “AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY” doors… you’re in the right place.
Let’s get to work.