Dacker, your post sounds a lot like what I have been doing the last two years. I had the engine overhauled and while down I did a lot of restoration and modification work. From zinc chromating the interior, reinsulting, restoring the panel, painted the firewall and more. Just last May I did a 5K annual. Lots of repairs to make up years of a partnership doing barnyard annuals as you say. Any way I have a date set in Dec. to go the Aerosmith Painting in Tyler, Tx. Do you know of them? If so, what. They are a little higher than some others, but I am told for good reason.
Curtis
GROUNDED
Moderators: GAHorn, Karl Towle, Bruce Fenstermacher
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funseventy
- Posts: 230
- Joined: Fri Oct 25, 2002 11:46 pm
I am planning on getting my paint at Trimaire in Mexia ( for you non-Texans that is pronounced Ma-hay-uh). I have seen and liked some of the work they have done and it is fairly close to Bryan.
As far as the paint scheme, I basically have printed out about a hundred of the 170 profiles from this web site and tried every scheme that has popped into my mind, including things like John Deere Green, the Blue Angel's, silver with red stripes, silver with green stripes, white with every imaginable color, solid colors on the bottom, solid colors on the top,..etc, etc. I finally decided on a pattern nearly identical to the one I have now, except instead of a tan with '70's brown and orange stripes, I will use white with red stripes. I came up with a lot of different schemes some were horrible and some were pretty descent. I used the one week rule, where I would draw it out, put it away for a week or more and then look at it again and try to imagine if I would want my airplane looking like that. Surprisingly that ruled out a lot of the schemes that I initially thought that I would like. I would gladly post my "art" work but I don't have a way to scan the drawing, perhaps a picture of the before and after.
This will be my first airplane to have stripped and painted, I would love to hear some of the things to look out for/demand from the shop (other than the obvious... no runs, paint the inside of the door and window frames, change the side windows, etc.).
I brought the airplane to the shop last spring for an estimate and he had good ideas and suggestions for what to me sounded like a quality driven job.
David Acker
9584A
As far as the paint scheme, I basically have printed out about a hundred of the 170 profiles from this web site and tried every scheme that has popped into my mind, including things like John Deere Green, the Blue Angel's, silver with red stripes, silver with green stripes, white with every imaginable color, solid colors on the bottom, solid colors on the top,..etc, etc. I finally decided on a pattern nearly identical to the one I have now, except instead of a tan with '70's brown and orange stripes, I will use white with red stripes. I came up with a lot of different schemes some were horrible and some were pretty descent. I used the one week rule, where I would draw it out, put it away for a week or more and then look at it again and try to imagine if I would want my airplane looking like that. Surprisingly that ruled out a lot of the schemes that I initially thought that I would like. I would gladly post my "art" work but I don't have a way to scan the drawing, perhaps a picture of the before and after.
This will be my first airplane to have stripped and painted, I would love to hear some of the things to look out for/demand from the shop (other than the obvious... no runs, paint the inside of the door and window frames, change the side windows, etc.).
I brought the airplane to the shop last spring for an estimate and he had good ideas and suggestions for what to me sounded like a quality driven job.
David Acker
9584A
You've probably already thought of this one! Any dings or dents are better repaired before the paint job than after. A good understanding with the painter on the degree of dissasembly (i.e. fin, rudder,etc) for the painting process before starting would be advantageous.
Joe
51 C170A
Grand Prairie, TX
51 C170A
Grand Prairie, TX
Dave, your neighbor, Buddy McGown had his 170 painted over at Mexia if you want to look at a local example of their work.
My advice on scheme would be this: If you vary too much from a standard paint scheme for a 170, then you'll have a "custom" scheme that may appeal primarily only to yourself (and which none of your friends will openly critique for fear of hurting your feelings). When it comes time to sell the airplane, you may find it's value discounted due to the non-standard scheme. I've seen many cases where owners have paid for paint jobs twice,...once when they painted it, ...and again when they sold it. IMHO
My advice on scheme would be this: If you vary too much from a standard paint scheme for a 170, then you'll have a "custom" scheme that may appeal primarily only to yourself (and which none of your friends will openly critique for fear of hurting your feelings). When it comes time to sell the airplane, you may find it's value discounted due to the non-standard scheme. I've seen many cases where owners have paid for paint jobs twice,...once when they painted it, ...and again when they sold it. IMHO
Good point about the paint schemes George. I have seen some that were just "butt ugly", makes me wonder what were they thinking? In my case I am talking about just two simple stripes down the middle of the fuselage exactly where the present ones are. But to each his own, my scheme could very well provoke nausea in some I'm sure. Another point, my airplane is too far from being original for it to be a contender for "Best Original" (C-172 cowling, bullet spinner, no sissy-wheel fairings, etc.), therefore I am opting for slightly more modern striping. In my opinion it will be pretty subtle. Not to insult anybody's airplane out there but I am just not real crazy about the original schemes, especially if it isn't on a polished airframe which mine is not. But then again I almost wore a canary yellow tux to one of my highschool dances. What was I thinking? Another criteria I have not mentioned (which could open a whole new thread) is the visibility, both in the air and on the ground. Coming from the search and rescue community I want something that will stand out if I happen to go down in the boonies. White alone doesn't really stand out, but add something like high vis orange or maybe a bright red and you increase your chances of being spotted.
My two cents worth.
David Acker
9584A
My two cents worth.
David Acker
9584A
From the mid-fifties to the late seventies the U.S.A.F. had the majority of their stateside (non-combat) aircraft painted with bright int'l orange wingtips and tail feathers. Guess who had the highest incidence of mid-air collisions? Yep.
I once taxyied out, as per ground control, at Gulfport, Ms towards the assigned runway in light drizzle. In only moments I experienced LOUD banging and holes (looked like I was being shot) started appearing all over the nose of my Navajo.
The local Guard unit had strung an int'l orange rope across the taxiway. (They were supposed to only rope off their ramp and got over-zealous.)
I swear, that color rope completely disappeared against the bright green grass beside the taxiway and over that damp concrete.
(Follow up: My mind was racing to remember if I'd gotten NOTAMS, ATIS, proper taxy clearance, etc. Two jeeps roared up in front of me and my de-planed pax (the CEO, the Pres. of the company and both their wives) and a Capt. jumped out of one and started accusing me of dereliction and being in a secure area without authorization. "Don't you ever listen to the ATIS?" he shouted. Just then the Col. in the other jeep poked him repeatedly in the sternum and ordered him back into his jeep. The Col. then turned to my pax and told them, "Your pilot has done nothing wrong. That was my "safety officer", and it's HIS unit that has improperly roped off a public taxiway!"
They offered to bring in a C-9 Nightingale to take us back to our home in CLL. We chartered a local C-421 instead.)
Anyway, regarding paint scheme visibility, it makes one wonder what some foks are thinking. United Air Lines spent several million dollars painting over their fleet's red, white, blue, and orange brilliant colors with...sky blue and grey! (They said it looked more "businesslike".) Now Southwest is painting many of their airplanes the same color blue.
I once taxyied out, as per ground control, at Gulfport, Ms towards the assigned runway in light drizzle. In only moments I experienced LOUD banging and holes (looked like I was being shot) started appearing all over the nose of my Navajo.
The local Guard unit had strung an int'l orange rope across the taxiway. (They were supposed to only rope off their ramp and got over-zealous.)
I swear, that color rope completely disappeared against the bright green grass beside the taxiway and over that damp concrete.
(Follow up: My mind was racing to remember if I'd gotten NOTAMS, ATIS, proper taxy clearance, etc. Two jeeps roared up in front of me and my de-planed pax (the CEO, the Pres. of the company and both their wives) and a Capt. jumped out of one and started accusing me of dereliction and being in a secure area without authorization. "Don't you ever listen to the ATIS?" he shouted. Just then the Col. in the other jeep poked him repeatedly in the sternum and ordered him back into his jeep. The Col. then turned to my pax and told them, "Your pilot has done nothing wrong. That was my "safety officer", and it's HIS unit that has improperly roped off a public taxiway!"
They offered to bring in a C-9 Nightingale to take us back to our home in CLL. We chartered a local C-421 instead.)
Anyway, regarding paint scheme visibility, it makes one wonder what some foks are thinking. United Air Lines spent several million dollars painting over their fleet's red, white, blue, and orange brilliant colors with...sky blue and grey! (They said it looked more "businesslike".) Now Southwest is painting many of their airplanes the same color blue.
N1478D wrote:Wonder if color has anything to do with speed!They paint stop signs and stop lights red! Your plane, George, has red on it and it is slow. Green is for GO!
Yeah, I've been watching all the green trees and grass and bushes around here for a long time. They sure move fast. (Side note: I once enjoyed the friendship of Ichiro Fujita, a Japanese flight student that became a close personal friend. He didn't speak English. I didn't speak Japanese. We both learned.
One day, while sitting at a traffic light, the light changed from red to green. I was daydreaming and didn't go.
"Blue light!", he said, pointing at the green light.
"That's called green", I responded.
"I know", he said. "But in Japan, we call it "blue".
Why? Because, he explained, before the war all the signals in Japan were either red (stop) or blue (go). But when the Americans occupied the country in '45, they changed all the signals to red/green.
But the phrase then in popular use has remained throughout the years. So when the light changes to green in Japan, the people say "Blue light!".
George 
"(Side note: I once enjoyed the friendship of Ichiro Fujita, a Japanese flight student that became a close personal friend. He didn't speak English. I didn't speak Japanese. We both learned. "
Speaking of which - we had fujitas at Joe T. Garcia's in Fort Worth Sunday night. Anybody who likes Mexican food and is close to Fort Worth, stop in at Joe T's, you will be glad you did. If the weather even barely permits it, eat outside.
"(Side note: I once enjoyed the friendship of Ichiro Fujita, a Japanese flight student that became a close personal friend. He didn't speak English. I didn't speak Japanese. We both learned. "Speaking of which - we had fujitas at Joe T. Garcia's in Fort Worth Sunday night. Anybody who likes Mexican food and is close to Fort Worth, stop in at Joe T's, you will be glad you did. If the weather even barely permits it, eat outside.
Joe
51 C170A
Grand Prairie, TX
51 C170A
Grand Prairie, TX
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eichenberger
- Posts: 51
- Joined: Mon Sep 09, 2002 8:27 pm
Back in the late 1980s I was involved in a case that required sevreal days worth of depositions in the Ft. Worth area. One of the local lawyers suggested that we all go to Joe T. Garcia's one evening. We did.
The plaintiff's lawyer (Ed) was a mid-60s aged gentleman, and he was a true gentleman. We all ate, had a good time, and returned to our hotel.
The next morning, as we convened for another day's deposition, this patrician was oddly dressed in the same suit that he had worn the day before, and that was certainly out of character for a fellow as classy as he.
When I asked him about it, he commented that he hadn't had time to change clothes, as he had just returned from a night in the hospital. He had forgotten about his dormant, bleeding ulcer, until about an hour after eating at Joe T.'s, when he was vomiting blood, and off to the hospital he went.
The rest of us have fond memories of the food. Poor Ed doesn't.
Jerry
The plaintiff's lawyer (Ed) was a mid-60s aged gentleman, and he was a true gentleman. We all ate, had a good time, and returned to our hotel.
The next morning, as we convened for another day's deposition, this patrician was oddly dressed in the same suit that he had worn the day before, and that was certainly out of character for a fellow as classy as he.
When I asked him about it, he commented that he hadn't had time to change clothes, as he had just returned from a night in the hospital. He had forgotten about his dormant, bleeding ulcer, until about an hour after eating at Joe T.'s, when he was vomiting blood, and off to the hospital he went.
The rest of us have fond memories of the food. Poor Ed doesn't.
Jerry
HA! If the GREAT food doesn't make you forget something like an ulcer, those REALLY GREAT margaritas will!
Remembering the memorable eating stories - in Fort Smith, AR many years ago I worked with an American Indian who had a really weak stomach. He would carefully not eat with most of our other co-workers because they would run up and start saying "blood, guts, etc", anything to watch him get sick and throw up which he always did when they did that. We slipped off to the best little hamburger joint around for lunch one day. It had really tall wooden boothes with the seat backs being at least 2 or 3 feet higher than the seated peoples heads. Those hamburgers were the best in town and we couldn't wait to get ours as we sat there after placing our order. They finally arrived and barely being able to hold the huge things we started eating them. On his second bite, just as he was moving the hamburger in to his mouth, the largest green bottle fly I have ever seen landed on the part of the hamburger that was just passing his lips. He froze in that position without biting down but lips closed around that potential bite. His eyes started getting bigger and bigger. He didn't have a clue what was buzzing around in his mouth. That was all it took. He rapidly stood up on the bench seat, turned around, and puked over the seat back. In that booth behind him was a couple eating their own huge hamburgers. The lady was in the path of the gallons and gallons of stuff the giant green bottle fly forced out of my friend who by this time had took off running and was long gone. The man came over to me, I hadn't moved an inch since it had all taken place, and explained to me that the Indian that had been sitting with me had just puked all over his wife. I leaned around and looked at her, many huge chunks were still working their way down her and lots of stuff was dripping all over her. She too, had not moved and still was holding her hamburger up to her mouth. It was the ugliest meal I've ever had.
Remembering the memorable eating stories - in Fort Smith, AR many years ago I worked with an American Indian who had a really weak stomach. He would carefully not eat with most of our other co-workers because they would run up and start saying "blood, guts, etc", anything to watch him get sick and throw up which he always did when they did that. We slipped off to the best little hamburger joint around for lunch one day. It had really tall wooden boothes with the seat backs being at least 2 or 3 feet higher than the seated peoples heads. Those hamburgers were the best in town and we couldn't wait to get ours as we sat there after placing our order. They finally arrived and barely being able to hold the huge things we started eating them. On his second bite, just as he was moving the hamburger in to his mouth, the largest green bottle fly I have ever seen landed on the part of the hamburger that was just passing his lips. He froze in that position without biting down but lips closed around that potential bite. His eyes started getting bigger and bigger. He didn't have a clue what was buzzing around in his mouth. That was all it took. He rapidly stood up on the bench seat, turned around, and puked over the seat back. In that booth behind him was a couple eating their own huge hamburgers. The lady was in the path of the gallons and gallons of stuff the giant green bottle fly forced out of my friend who by this time had took off running and was long gone. The man came over to me, I hadn't moved an inch since it had all taken place, and explained to me that the Indian that had been sitting with me had just puked all over his wife. I leaned around and looked at her, many huge chunks were still working their way down her and lots of stuff was dripping all over her. She too, had not moved and still was holding her hamburger up to her mouth. It was the ugliest meal I've ever had.
Joe
51 C170A
Grand Prairie, TX
51 C170A
Grand Prairie, TX
I just got home after doing a bajillion T&Gs and was amazed at the degradation of this web site... kind of reminds me of my Navy days! Anyhow... the reason the high vis orange airplanes had a high rate of occupying the same position in space and time with other airplanes is because they were AIR FARCE airplanes. My beloved NAVAL helicopters had high vis orange all over and we never hit other aircraft (no matter how hard we tried!) . It has been said by less skillfull aviators that we repel everything around us, including the earth, but that is just pure jealousy!
David
David
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rudymantel
- Posts: 451
- Joined: Sat Nov 23, 2002 4:03 pm