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2.The “30-foot Paint Job” – This is what I call a paint job that looks good at 30 feet away, but once you get close to the airplane, you can see orange peel on the underside of the wings, or you can tell that the control surfaces were never re- moved for paint. You can usually see a fresh coat of paint on top of peeling paint in the area between the control surfaces and the trail- ing edge of the wings/horizontal stabilizer. 3.Overspray – I’ve seen this one all too many times and I’m not sure why. I believe it occurs when a shop is doing touch up or maybe even they are spraying paint on an ad- jacent airplane in the same shop. You’ll see specs of paint on the side windows. 4.Bubbling or Blistering Paint – Imagine Steve Martin yelling at John Candy in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, “Those aren’t pillows!” The same is true with bubbling or blistering paint. That is likely corrosion under there. Have a maintenance professional check it out. Buying Like a Pro I often tell my acquisition clients that I’d rather find an airplane that needs new paint and interior but has good bones. That’s because everything else is generally cosmetic and you can usually find a better deal that way. If you find an airplane with a good his- tory (logbooks and pedigree) and good bones (discovered using a thorough pre-buy inspection), you can feel good about investing in a high-quality paint job and a custom interior that you will enjoy for a while. More importantly, you’ll likely realize a greater return on the aircraft down the road. Kandi Spangler is a sales director at jetAVIVA. She has more than 20 years of aviation experience. You can contact Kandi at kandi. spangler@jetaviva.com or 512- 410-0295. Rosen Visors Paint Pro Tips 1. The more stripes, the higher the cost. Stick with one or two colors for striping. 2.Don’t go crazy. Pick a crowd- pleasing color scheme for resale purposes if you want any sort of return. 3. Paint touch up. Do it often as it will extend the life of your paint job. But make sure the shop matches the colors. (Note: Not all white is white. And metallic paints actually require more touch up). 4.Using ceramic, xylan or titani- um paint coatings once a year WORK REALLY WELL. Use them and it will extend the life of your paint job. 5.Clean your airplane often and keep it hangared, both at home and on the road. Foreign particles (dirt/dust), UV rays and humidity can easily cut the lifespan of your paint job in half. Jet Journal May 2020 / TWIN & TURBINE • 23