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Seven thousand gallons of the "cold cure" version of the Carbon Plex H-25 was prepared, then diluted 25 percent and shipped to the jobsite ready to use. A light tower-rigged 2,000 gallon Bearcat distributor truck was readied, together with three mobile light tower platforms.

Against the backdrop of jet engine roar, the Ramsey Oil crew put on their 'game face' and huddled in the staging area at the pre-installation tailgate meeting with four JWA engineers and two inspectors. Air and pavement temperatures were in the low 50s F. The table was set for finishing the project except for one fly in the ointment - fog.

Snow, who had the most experience with the Carbon Plex, felt a cautious start was possible, paying close attention to the 'break' time. The plan was to install a short run of the H-25, time the cure and then decide whether to continue or scrub the effort for the night. The JWA engineers and inspectors then present concurred with Snow's cautious start proposal.

At 10:45 p.m. the gates were opened and the convoy of trucks was escorted out through the fog hovering over the main runway. As the Carbon Plex H-25 does not need to be heated to cure under nighttime conditions, minimal heat (110 degrees F) was used to encourage drying. At 11:07 p.m. the first 12-foot swath was placed at a spread rate of .10-.12 gallons per square yard.

When the Bearcat operator 'dropped the hammer' and disappeared into the fog on his first mile-plus run, every eye at the start line leaned forward under the glare of the light tower to glean information from the flow pattern and color change of the freshly placed coating.