Page 17 - Dec21T

to see rivets popping up where the paint has come away from those ar- eas. People try to repair these issues, but you really can’t. When you get to that stage, it’s really time to get the airplane painted.”
Shopping for a Paint Shop
Like any element of maintaining your aircraft – and, yes, paint is con- sidered maintenance – the first step in ensuring that the service provider you select is indeed the service provider you want is to do your homework.
“You have to research to learn the things that make a high-quality paint job different from just another paint job,” explained Stevens Aerospace and Defense Systems Paint Shop Supervi- sor, Billy Brown. “There is a big differ- ence in the two ends. It takes a lot more time and effort to achieve a better end. High-quality correlates to a better- looking, much longer-lasting paint job.”
Speaking of “longer-lasting,” Brown went on to say that a quality paint fin- ish that has been properly maintained (see “Aircraft Washing 101” story in the July issue) should last eight- to 10-years. So, what do you look for in a shop? It can be challenging. I’ve not yet seen a paint shop that didn’t say they provided the best quality finishes possible. That’s where your research comes in.
“Experience with an aircraft’s type is important, so talk to other owners of your aircraft type and see who they used,” Krolikowski said. “Knowledge of particular aircraft types is key. For example, it may not seem like much, but knowing how to work around but- ton head rivets is critical.
“Ask if they’d recommend the shop; not just their final work, but what where they like to work with? Did they finish the job on time?” added Chis Short, Yingling Aviation’s vice president of operations. “How the shop works around rivets is a telling sign. Jets have flush rivets and are easier to fill and finish to look smooth.”
“Regular, button-head rivets are a totally different problem. It takes a lot of time to work around them re- moving old paint properly. We’ve seen instances where another paint shop
has rushed the job and mechanically sanded the heads of the button-head rivets down flat,” he said. “You can’t do that. It impacts the integrity of the airframe,” he added. “We had to go back and replace all of those rivets. It was very costly for the owner to make those repairs.”
While we’re still on the subject of pre-work, Krolikowski pointed out an- other key differentiator was how the shop handles any overlapping seams in the aircraft’s skin. A quality shop will protect these areas so that any
chemical stripper can’t seep into the airframe and introduce corrosion.
“Ask if the shop covers the seams. They can take the paint off of the out- side of the seam mechanically, but leave the paint inside where the seams are bonded,” he said. “It adds labor time and cost, but it’s important that it is done correctly.”
You Get What You Pay For
Okay, so let’s cut to the chase: What should you expect to pay for a high- quality paint job? Well, working with
December 2021 / TWIN & TURBINE • 15
Paint Process Overview
Old paint stripped.
Primer coat applied.
New base coat applied.
Stripe layout in process.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF YINGLING AVIATION
Ready for delivery to the customer.