Speaking as a person who painted his airplane (typing as a person who painted,
really!) I would advise not to get cheap when making the decision of what paint
to use. You have a big investment in the airplane and it needs to be protected.
Since I also had to repaint my entire airplane due to using a paint that was
defective - but still expensive - I think I can add more information here.
If you think painting it is a hard and long job, let me tell you that REPAINTING
it is HUGE and ENDLESS job. You do not want to go cheap, then turn around
and have to do it again. I used what the local glider painting expert uses - PPG
concept. The difference between that acrylic urethane and the cheaper ones
will be seen in the long run - durability. I hope to be 20 years down the road
and still not coming anywhere close to repainting the airplane.
The local painter, who is well known in the glider community for composite work
and paint uses the following for composite airplanes:
PPG K36 acrylic primer - wet sanded to a very smooth finish
PPG DP40 epoxy primer sealer - gray green for darker color UV protection (not
intended
to sand, but able to fix runs, etc.
PPG Concept base white acrylic urethane top coat (2 coats) - white to be as cool
as possible for the composite structure.
I am very pleased with the results so far. I will write again in 20 years to
give
everyone an update!
Dave
A227
Mini U2
227 hours TT
Still looking for a cabin heater solution...
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