The Velocity Project - Page 33

The first step in preparation for painting was not to prepare the airplane, but to prepare the hanger.

All the sanding is going to be messy!

Painting will be done using a four-stage system which includes first-stage primer, second-stage primer, sealer, and final paint.

The instruments and finished parts of the airplane were carefully protected from dust and overspray.

Even a small amount of dust in a gyro can mean an expensive repair job.

Filling and sanding are very labor intensive. Even the smallest defect will show after the final paint job.

This picture shows the fill that was required around the doors to make sure that the contours and door fit were correct.

Preliminary sanding of the fuselage has been completed, removing some of the first-stage primer.

The aircraft has been in the white (first stage) primer since just before it's first flight (See Session 26).

This heavy brown coating is the second stage primer, which is sanded to remove the intermediate level defects in the surface.

The parts in this picture are the ailerons and canard cover.

Here are the ailerons after the sanding of the second stage primer.

Much of the primer is removed during the sanding process, leaving just enough to fill defects and low areas.

No, we are NOT painting the aircraft black!

This is the sealer, which is applied over the second stage primer. The sealer goes on very thin, revealing even the tiniest defect and providing a last opportunity to make corrections before the final paint.

Here is a part of the cowling with it's final coat of Nason "Snow White" paint.

The entire aircraft had to be disassembled for painting and then re-assembled. The wings, canard, cowling, flight surfaces, doors, gear legs, and compartment covers were all removed and painted separately.

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