Popular aircraft paint schemes

Believe it or not, all styles and schemes depend on N# regulation markings. It’s best to understand your N# first, how big or small it can be and then start the design process. For example, an aircraft less than 30 years old must have an N# that is 12 inches or larger. An aircraft 30 years or older only 2 inches. An aircraft up to 180 Kts C.A.S. needs at least a 3 inch N# and if it’s faster than 180 Kts C.A.S. it must be 12 inches. For production or experimental aircraft, the N# must be placed horizontally on the tail or fuselage between the trailing edge of the wing and/or the leading edge of the horizontal stabilizer or the jet engine housing (nacelles). For a rotorcraft, the N# must be placed horizontally on the cabin, fuselage, tail or the boom. And finally for experimental aircraft the markings need to be horizontally on the tail, fuselage between the trailing edge of the wing and/or the leading edge of the horizontal stabilizer.

Liveries are uniforms, and airlines carry many types of these paint schemes. There are commemorative (paint or wraps celebrating a milestone), bare metal (old-school), heritage/retro (80’s 2 colors and straight lines), regional brands (flags/countries’ colors), billboard (wide-body aircraft branding), cheatline (like heritage, has decorative, single, horizontal or multiple, band of colors applied to the sides of a fuselage), government (camo), logo (one color and logo), military (stealth), alliance brands (corporate identities) and jelly bean (multiple designs and colors).

The most popular aircraft paint schemes today are the Jelly Bean (wave art) you see on new aircraft and motorhomes. The concept has no real name other than Jelly Bean but the idea is to make the vehicle look larger and blend in any imperfections from wear and tear, weather damage, sun damage and other types of blemishes. Older styles where just simple lines/colors and manufacturers learned that the more complex the paint scheme, the longer the vehicle keeps its value. If your paint on your aircraft is older than 10 years, you may want to consider repainting it. However, believe it or not, most large aircraft are painted white. Research has shown that white is a neutral color, has thermal benefits, doesn’t fade like other pigments leaving the plane look newer longer (I beg to differ), reflects better and is the cheaper option. It also has titanium in it which has advantages for aerospace but we paint small planes so let’s not get distracted.

The most popular aircraft paint colors in the late 2010’s are dark roasted coffee. Dark blends of browns and blacks are absolutely the hottest thing right now and we see it all over the place on coaches and planes. They say coffee is the new wine and coffee company colors are what is the future of aviation. Blacks and browns are actually a safe aviation color for FAA medical standards. There are guidelines for color perceptions and when you are flying in the air, light colors are harder to see than darker colors. You will actually start to see this trend play out as soon as the airlines catch up to us smaller paint shops who are at the cutting edge of design.

If you’re looking for a professional to paint your baby, then look no further than to Vert, Inc. We study trends and concepts while judging performance for aircraft with our custom designs which have built our legacy firmly in the aviation market. Not only do we know how to strip your plane with ease with the proper maintenance and eco-friendly materials, we know how to paint the livery with the latest in aviation trends. Give us a call for a free quote. Vert, Inc. 541.678.8638 | 517 SE Evergreen Ave Redmond, OR 97756, USA.

http://www.vertinc.net/popular-aircraft-paint-schemes/

https://youtu.be/avd21VgEmYs

http://www.pearltrees.com/vertinc#item174725121

What’s the best aircraft paint remover?

How do we get down to the surface - aluminum or wood? Even if you have 3 coats? 5 coats? If you’re like me, you’ve used razorblades, a gasoline liquid detergent mixture, belt sanders, palm sanders, a wire brush, 3M pads and even angle grinders to get to the surface. But good luck! You can’t get 5 coats off with any of those techniques, machines or materials. So what is the best aircraft paint remover? Well, there are several depending on what you need done, how many coats you have, and how environmentally friendly will determine what product you need to buy.

1 Coat

Bullseye Paint & Finish Remover (Rustoleum) is soy based and an environmental friendly spray that works ok with thin coats of paint. Honestly, it’s not worth the money. We are talking about an aircraft and we want to be perfect about this. If all you have is Bullseye, then go ahead and try it but you will be disappointed in the long run.

2 Coats

Environmentally friendly CitrusStrip will melt away at least 2 to 3 coats but you have to let it sit for at least 20 hours and then after that you have to chip away at it which takes a long time. If there are more coats, you will definitely need something more industrial strength. The good thing about CitrusStrip is it isn't flammable and doesn't have any toxic fumes.

3 Coats

Jasco Semi-Paste Multi-Surface Paint Remover or Jasco Premium Paint and Varnish Stripper will do a great job for an airplane with 2 - 3 coats of paint on it. It’s cheap and available at any local hardware store like Lowes or Home Depot. Some people swear by Jasco. They say it can remove anything, but research has shown that it cannot cut through more than 4 coats.

4 – 5 coats

Klean-Strip Aircraft Paint Stripper is the best out there. It’s designed to peel all of the paint off of aluminum airplanes without harming the metal. This is the product you need. It’s easy to handle, goes on very smooth with a brush,  and strips layers off with ease by using less than the others above.

The next question is how environmentally friendly do you want to be? If you’re worried about the environment, then the safest most effective stuff is CitrusStrip but you will have difficulty with more than 3 coats of paint (layers). So in conclusion, if you need it done right and are not too worried about harmful chemicals and/or have the facility to clean it up, go with Klean-Strip. If you are doing it yourself and there is a possibility that your efforts will spill into the soil or worse, get into the sewer, then go with CitrusStrip. You will probably need to do it a few times to get down to the metal/wood.

http://www.vertinc.net/whats-best-aircraft-paint-remover/

https://youtu.be/Apxgs8wu0hM

What is aircraft paint and is there any difference than others?

There are not a lot of articles about what aircraft paint is, so we thought it was important to show you the difference. Paint manufacturers use different credo for airplanes than for cars because of the environment they represent. Depending on the altitude, pollution and environment (rain/snow), the mixture of the paint is absolutely key for aviation coatings. Choosing the right aircraft paint manufacturer is absolutely critical to anyone wanting to paint an aircraft. Especially if you’re waiting your own aircraft in Central Oregon.

What you are looking for when purchasing aviation paint (to spray an aircraft) is FDXH chemical resistant formula that resists hydraulic fluid, oil and/or jet fuel. When you do your etching, primer, reducers and topcoat, remember to use the same brand. Mixing brands is risky and can ruin the entire project. You cannot be cheap or picky about this process. You also need to follow the manufacturers guidelines because certain formulas work better for certain finishes and/or surfaces. Request the manufacturers materials/spec sheets and read thoroughly.

Most aircraft are painted with single stage polyurethane paint. This is what you would look for mainly. It’s like a “liquid plastic”. There are three types of polyurethane paint:

- water-based

- oil based

- oil modified water based

We want to use the oil based polyurethane paint FDXH chemical resistant formula. Water based isn’t strong enough for tough weather like ice crystals or debris from strong winds. Before you use primer or paint, you must mix it thoroughly. If there is/are any pigment that has settled to the bottom, the suspension and distributed will not be evenly spread throughout the paintjob.

Aircraft paint has a shelf life so make sure you buy it brand new. If an opened container has skin or  film formed over the primer or paint, the film must be completely removed before you do any mixing. The paint should not be used if it has expired, becomes too thick or jelled. For spot repairs, use catalyzed basecoat or FBC. Just look for the label. Do not use anything that says “medium solid coating”. You want to use basecoat or clear coat for its blend-able performance if you are doing color matching.

Ok, so to sum up. If you are looking for aircraft paint for a job in Redmond, OR (painting your own airplane) you will need to understand these basic things above. Look for this type of paint: FDXH chemical resistant oil based polyurethane paint and do not mix different paint companies. Just stick with one and you’ll be fine. If you want to learn how to paint an airplane, you can check it out here on my blog.

http://www.vertinc.net/aircraft-paint-difference-others/

https://youtu.be/ix55lJVu9uU