Aviation Services since 1977
Aircraft Paint and Completions
Our award winning paint services over the past thirty years have given us an excellent reputation in the market. We are proud to say many of our clients report to us their aircraft looks as good now as it did when we painted it many years ago. We use a thirty-nine step process which sets us apart from our competition.
Paint Process
Every paint job begins with a thorough inspection, power wash and degrease. From there it is disassembled, and masked inside the cabin and door frames, followed by masking to de-paint. After the chemical depaint-process, it is washed again and demasked for the detail stipping and scrubbing, then washed again. Next begins the solvent scrub, wash, soap scrub, wash, water break, and inspection. This is where corrosion removal is addressed, followed by etching, pre-treatment, conversion coating. Simultaneously composites are sanded, repaired, surfaced, block-sanded and made ready for primer.Aircraft is then masked to paint and primed. If it is a metal aircraft, dents are filled, and the surface is nib-sanded and thoroughly worked with scotch brite. At this point the aircraft is masked to paint the base coat. The physical environment along with the aircraft is prepared for painting. After the base coat is applied, layout for the graphics and stripes begins, with specialized tape and masking materials, which is the artistic aspect of the job. It can take days to perfect the layout before the desired look is achieved. One this is completed, the layout is manicured with foil and other techniques, scuffed, then masked and painted for each stripe or graphic. After de-masking, the paint is detailed. Particular attention paid to gas caps, rivets, stripes, dry spots. Wing walk and conductive coating is applied. The windows and equipment are masked for prosealing. Now the controls are balanced and the aircraft is reassembled. A thorough inspection is performed for paint quality, and then another, final delivery inspection is performed. The aircraft is function checked for airworthiness. The entire process takes from 4 to 6 weeks depending on several variables from the condition of the aircraft when it went into paint, to the number of stripes, to the complexity of the design. It is more profitable for us to complete the job in a shorter time-frame, but the customer must understand we will not rush the job if it means a compromise on quality.
We will keep the owner informed as to the progression of the project with e-mail and photos, and certainly welcome owner inspection as often as they want. We warrant all our work. We want our customers to be completely satisfied and to feel that joy every time they fly.
Paint Discussion
After over 1500 paint projects we know what it takes to do a great paint job. Our 39 step process evolved over the years and is patterned after the Boeing process with respect to all substrates except fabric and in that area we feel our system is a superior one. We can apply basic factory schemes over fleet aircraft, or the most demanding custom work in as many colors as your imagination can offer. If clear-coating is the right thing for your aircraft, we can certainly apply a clear coat. In addition, we treat aircraft refinishing as a maintenance event, not just a change of scheme and color. Licensed personnel are involved at every step and every product used meets an aviation standard. At one time we were a coatings distributor and therefore benefit from many technical discussions never available most shops. We are still connected to distribution channels so we know the latest in application technologies before almost anyone in the refinish market .