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Premium Paint Work: Basecoat/Clearcoat

On The Cover: The paint is still drying on the skin of Bob Reed's Grumman Tiger after rolling out of the hangar at Circle W Restoration in East Berline, Pennsylvania. A follow-on field report from our recent paint shop survey, this project shows what is involved in a high-end base coat/clearcoat finish, with an example of how every shop should approach the customer service part of the work. The report starts on page 18.

The paint shop survey report in the August 2020 Aviation Consumer was timely because I was ready to drop big money on a custom paint job for my Grumman.  In addition to reading all of the magazine’s paint shop articles over the past two decades, I came up with an involved planning process, and my experience can be helpful to others staring down this major time-consuming project. 

Moreover, my project was unique because it included a basecoat/clearcoat, the way all automobiles are painted. This proved to be an elusive option and it wasn’t something all shops will get involved with, even though a clearcoat finish is the modern standard in aircraft painting projects, and has been the standard in the automotive world for ages. 

Bob Reed

Contributor Bob Reed is an active CFII and owns a Grumman Tiger based in Pennsylvania.