If the paint on your airplane is duller than a roomful of mathematicians, then maybe it’s time to think about getting some new feathers for your bird with a professional paint job to restore your aircraft to its, as Bruce Springsteen once sang, glory days.

So as not to let it pass you by, let’s look at what it really takes to make the right decision to repaint your airplane. While it will help to have a few zeros to the left of the decimal point in your checking account, there are some other considerations other than cost that you need to keep in mind as you decide about getting your bird repainted.

First, does your aircraft need a new paint job, or will a professional detail restore the lost luster? That may be a question for a specialist to determine—but certainly worth investigating, as a pro detail will cost much less than a full repaint. Generally speaking, if there is enough base paint available, which can be determined by a paint thickness measurement test tool, then paint correction by way of detailing and refinishing can be a viable alternative. (See Detailing Your Plane.)

However, while detailing can remove visible and hidden contaminants from the exterior finish, there will be some circumstances where you may need to consider a full repaint. This will commonly be the case for those aircraft that have spent their entire decades in the hot South or Southwest sun, as they may not have enough base paint available for detailing.

While you may have considered vinyl wraps or decals as a viable, lower-cost option to repainting, vinyl wraps do not mix well on aircraft. The manufacturer may limit where vinyl can be placed on composite aircraft so that it does not interfere with critical safety components, such as the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS)deployment area on Cirrus aircraft.

In addition, the inherent characteristic of vinyl is that of a static generator. Any large area on an aircraft (think wings) that generates copious amounts of static electricity with a vinyl wrap will potentially create havoc with avionics and navigation equipment. It is simply not a viable alternative other than utilizing vinyl for some pinstriping on the fuselage or for the registration numbers (which would allow for an easy N-number change, if needed).

And for those considering vinyl for your aluminum-skinned aircraft like Cessnas or Pipers, you may also want to reconsider that option. Vinyl wraps on aircraft with rivets will make for a near-impossible task to create a smooth, shiny, clean finish. If you have ever attempted to hang wallpaper or “contact paper,” you fully understand that challenge. Therefore, for owners who might like to modernize the paint scheme or want to restore their old bird’s luster and shine, a repaint is likely the best option.

But as Captain Obvious would state, the general aviation fleet is aging, and, likely, your plane is too, unless your aircraft has undergone a recent refinish or repaint. When looking at your airplane, if it seems as faded as a view through cataracts, milky with vague wisps of misty strands, then it’s probably time to start the repaint process.

So, let’s look at the fine points of aircraft repainting and see if you can restore the shine you once had and return your bragging rights to the tarmac with fresh paint. 

Whether a conventional aluminum airframe or one of the composites, having your bird repainted starts with assessing several factors. According to Ross Robillard from Midwest Aircraft Refinishing in Hibbing, Minnesota, paint not only covers the aircraft, it also protects it. A tired, weathered exterior simply does not preserve the airplane as well as a fresh coat of paint. In addition to looking great, new paint also will protect the integrity of the airframe better. And what better time to design an updated paint scheme that will instantly transform your tired, old aircraft into one that would be difficult to discern from new? It’s basically a face-lift for your airplane.

When calling around paint shops specializing in aircraft repainting, one thing to consider is how long it will take to get yours scheduled. While you may think a short lead time would be a positive indicator, that may not necessarily be true.

Jaime Steel, who has operated an aircraft paint shop at Steel Aviation in Phillipsburg, Ohio, for many years, told Plane & Pilot that she is now scheduling well into 2025 for complete repaints. Since prepping and painting an aircraft represents a tedious, complex process that takes up to six weeks, don’t expect a short lead time for a reservation from any reputable shop.

Also, most industry experts agree that prospective customers should ask about the type of paint booth the shop uses. Most recommend avoiding downdraft paint booths, as those tend to stir up more dust and dirt while painting compared to the cross-flow types that generate minimal contaminants, especially when used with radiant heat.

It also goes without saying that you want an experienced technician to prep and paint, as well as a shop specializing in the type of aircraft you own. There is a dramatic difference when preparing and painting an aluminum-skinned bird compared to a composite aircraft. In fact, the prep time for an aluminum aircraft takes far longer since all the existing paint needs to be stripped off, along with any sheet metal or fiberglass repair, before painting. Any corrosion also needs to be mitigated prior to painting. Even composite aircraft, such as a Cirrus, have aluminum flight controls, so careful consideration is required to remove any corrosion during the flight control painting process. Since composite aircraft can’t utilize the harsh chemicals of a paint stripper, which would damage the resin in the fiberglass skin, the existing paint will require sanding in a tedious process utilizing 4-inch sanding blocks. Because of this it can be argued that the technician’s skill in prepping a composite airplane requires more finesse than the chemical stripping of an aluminum aircraft. In either case, the labor to design, prepare, paint, and complete the project will roughly take the same amount of effort in labor hours, no matter if it’s an aircraft of aluminum or composite construction.

• READ MORE: Upgrade Your Plane!

Whether your choice of paint shop uses an in-house designer or enlists the services of a third-party graphic design company to assist in your new color scheme, the fun begins once your aircraft is scheduled on the calendar and your deposit is made to begin the repaint journey.

Most design studios, such as Maverick Aircraft Design in Bandera, Texas, will start the process with a conversation to determine if you have anything in mind for your updated paint scheme. You may have seen an aircraft with a complex, unique scheme that sent you into the stratosphere. Or perhaps you want a simple, updated, and fresh design to accompany your new paint. Do you want something more linear, curved, or straight-edged? Or maybe you are like many of us and couldn’t design a stick figure if your life depended on it. Don’t despair. Your graphic designer will develop multiple variations based on the aircraft type, expertise, and information provided.

A discussion will ensue that goes over the base covering, colors, and any limitations for what’s approved by the aircraft manufacturer. Most notably, composite aircraft must have approved paints and colors for the wings and fuselage, and tolerant measurements for painting behind the cowl owing to the bond seams of the composite material. Needless to say, this is not your dad’s paint job on his 1963 Chevy.

Cirrus and other composite aircraft manufacturers do not recommend finishing the project with a ceramic coating, as it may cause a buildup of static electricity in flight that could cause avionics and communications issues.

To avoid disappointment, the designer will provide you with a rendering of what the airplane will look like once completed before any work begins. In fact, most professional renderings will be spot on, not only on the design itself but the color schemes that will be utilized, again based on your desires. Oh, the luxury of modern technology.

Moreover, most aircraft owners have at least 90 days to rework the design and approve the final rendering before the painting commences. Whether the design studio is in-house or outsourced, this timeline is generally an industry standard practice.

The cost of admission? You can expect an estimated price from a reputable aircraft paint shop from start to finish (assuming no sheet metal or fiberglass work) on most single-engine piston, four-place aircraft to be in the mid-$30,000s for a basic but nice repaint job.

More complex paint schemes and larger aircraft will likely increase your investment up to the $50,000 range. Your mileage may vary.

However, considering this investment will provide benefits for years to come, including better protection of your airframe, higher resale value, along with a potential slight increase in cruise speed of 2 knots or so (hey, every knot counts), and, last but not least, bragging rights for having a bird on the ramp that elicits oohs and aahs—well, that’s priceless. Isn’t it time to give that FBO cat something to purr about?

Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in the October 2023 issue of Plane & Pilot magazine. 

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My son is reading The Great Gatsby in his 10th grade English class—the same school year when I first read it—and chatting with him about the story’s setting got me thinking about New York’s Long Island and how I have wanted for years to fly to Montauk on its eastern tip.

Yes, it’s a long way from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Gold Coast and quieter than Jay Gatsby’s party-hearty haunts. But like the novel’s North Shore setting, Montauk gives visitors the feeling that they have truly arrived. As I found out, that feeling is especially strong for pilots.

My wife and I recently ended the long wait with a flight to the popular summer destination known for beautiful beaches, great food, hiking trails, and other outdoor activities. We wanted to get a sense of the place before the busy season really gets going. Over the years, we have spent weekends with friends and attended weddings in the Hamptons, of which Montauk is part, but never drove far enough east to see the hamlet. Now, once again, flying has opened the door.

Getting There

Montauk Airport (KMTP) is 122 nm from our home airport at Sussex, New Jersey (KFWN), a distance “Annie,” our Commander 114B, can cover in about 50 minutes. By road the distance is 171 miles and close to four hours or longer on a summer weekend. Flying there is a joy. Scenery includes the New York skyline, Long Island Sound, the Connecticut coast and dozens of interesting islands. There are also airports to spot along the way, many of which, like East Hampton, (KJPX), Groton, Connecticut (KGON), and Fishers Island, New York (0B8), may inspire future flights.

The airport is not where you would expect to find it. As you fly east over the Sound, Long Island dwindles, getting narrower. Just as it appears to melt into the Atlantic, the runway appears, peeking out from a swath of thick vegetation edged with sand. The field sits in a largely undeveloped area that includes Montauk County Park and Montauk Point State Park. There is an inlet and a harbor between the airport and the village, giving the former a remote feel.

The Airport Environment

On the day we visited, the winds favored Runway 24, which necessitates an overwater approach into a right-hand traffic pattern. Descending over water always feels strange to me, but you cannot avoid it when the runway threshold abuts the beach. It is best to focus on flying a precise pattern while enjoying striking views of the harbor, village, and shoreline. I tried not to fixate on the ocean’s expanse.

On short final, we could see people gathered and strolling on the beach. Several looked up as we passed over; a few waved. I still get such a kick out of being that person in the airplane after decades of looking up at others flying past.

The runway is 3,246 feet long, so light piston aircraft make up most of the traffic, though turboprops also show up. We shared the ramp with a Daher TBM, a Beechcraft Bonanza, and two Cirrus SR22s. There is a small airport office that is attended sometimes but not the Sunday afternoon in early May when we stopped in. I understand there is more of a reception for arriving aircraft during the summer, when traffic increases and the vacation rhythm picks up. Still, Montauk is known as a quiet place compared with the rest of the Hamptons.

Getting Around

This is an ideal destination for flying in for lunch and a walk along the shore. The Gin Beach Cafe is across the street from the ramp, really just steps away. We took a 10-minute walk up the road north of the airport to the Inlet Seafood Restaurant, which is a classic seaside spot where you can watch boats coming into the harbor while enjoying a menu full of delicious options.

Walk a little farther, and you are on the county park beach, which we flew over earlier. One pilot friend who encouraged us to visit Montauk flies there regularly on summer evenings after work just to swim and relax on the beach near the runway.

But there is more to Montauk than the airport, and while hiking is among the area’s popular activities, you will need a set of wheels if you are planning a longer stay and want to explore. Shuttles, taxis, and rental cars are available for getting back and forth to points of interest, but this also seems like the perfect place for lightweight, folding bicycles.

The latest generation of folding bikes includes many that close up into a package compact enough to fit easily in an aircraft baggage compartment—and these include some electric or e-bikes as well. On the road, they handle and perform like high-end touring bikes, allowing you to cover lots of ground quickly. In locations like the Hamptons, where summer car traffic can be unbelievably thick, a bicycle is often the quickest, most efficient way to get around. I plan to test a few of these bikes soon.

Things To Do

The parks around the airport are good places to start if you enjoy hiking and communing with nature. Before heading to the village you might also visit the Montauk Point Lighthouse, which, according to the Montauk Historical Society, George Washington commissioned as president in 1792. It was the first lighthouse built in New York and ranks as the fourth-oldest working lighthouse in the U.S. The lighthouse is also a museum that delves into the area’s history.

Camp Hero State Park, which includes a former coastal defense station, is another historic site at the eastern tip of town. Concrete bunkers housed gun batteries here during World War II, but today the area is better known for its diverse landscape, long beachfront, and trails for hiking, biking, and horseback riding. Deep Hollow Ranch, about 3 miles south of the airport, includes an extensive stable and offers trail and beach rides.

There is a lot of history in Montauk and the rest of the Hamptons, from wartime military activities to the area’s development over the last 100 years or so into a popular escape for New York City dwellers. Visitors can learn a lot in the area’s museums by taking tours of historic homes or casually studying local architecture. From Colonial to Revival to mid-20th century kitsch, you can find it all in Montauk.

Where To Stay

You can also experience a range of styles in the town’s accommodations, whether you are interested in outsize resorts like the Montauk Manor, understated bed and breakfasts, or classic throwback motels Haven Montauk, Montauk Blue, and Daunt’s Albatross. Indeed the classic motel, once an endangered species, has made a comeback here as vacationers from Generations X and Y express nostalgia for time spent in similar digs during family road trips from the 1970s through the ’90s.  You probably will find the ideal combination of balconies, sliding glass doors, flat roofs, and decoratively shaped swimming pools.

If you prefer to camp, you can check out the waterfront sites at the scenic Hither Hills State Park or along the Paumanok Path, a long-distance hiking trail that runs about 125 miles from Rocky Point through the towns of Brookhaven, Riverhead, and East Hampton, ending at the Montauk lighthouse.

I plan to visit Montauk again soon, but for the whole weekend at least—not just lunch. Between now and then, I will have to decide on where to stay. But there is no longer a decision about whether or not to go.

In the old days before I acquired my pilot certificate, I never quite got around to visiting the eastern extreme of Long Island. It always seemed a bit too far, requiring more hours than I had to spare. Now, the ability to get there in less than an hour has extended my reach and transformed my outlook.

Landing at Montauk—having avoided the snarled weekend traffic—instantly makes a strong case for general aviation and the notion that there are still a few forms of real freedom out there. KMTP had been on my GA destinations list since I began flight training, and while it took more than 10 years to get there, I can say with conviction that it was worth the wait. 

Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in the August 2023 issue of Plane & Pilot magazine. 

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A variety of subjects were discussed, including the emerging issues associated with the new glass cockpits, aeronautical decision making, and the proper use of the then-new Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS), and on a lighter note, the apparent inability of any of the participants to win a single dime on the slot machines. It was a great pilot-to-pilot event focused on flight safety. However, the most surprising takeaway was the uniform opinion of this group of owner pilots that they were experiencing various symptoms of mild hypoxia, even at altitudes below the FAA-mandated 12,500-foot supplemental oxygen requirement.

So, what changed?

The difference was the SR22’s ability to climb quickly to the cool, smooth air above 10,000 feet, especially out west where the IFR minimum en route altitudes often begin there, or even higher. The pilots’ previous experience in a variety of fixed-gear singles that cruised at lower altitudes had not prepared them for three-hour cruise legs at 12,000 feet. They reported a variety of effects including fatigue, dehydration, and just feeling a bit less focused. Attempting to understand the phenomenon, most of these dedicated pilots had purchased the finger-mounted pulse oximeters that were becoming available at the time. These safety-conscious pilots were adapting to a new situation by attempting to understand it.

So, let’s do the same by reviewing the basics.

What Are the Basic Requirements?

In our private pilot ground school, we learned that according to FAR 91.211, supplemental oxygen is required for pilots when the cabin altitude is above 12,500 feet, and up to 14,000 feet, for more than 30 minutes. Next, if Santa Claus dropped a turbocharger in your stocking this past year, flight above 14,000 feet requires the entire flight crew to use supplemental oxygen. Above 15,000 feet, everyone on board the bird receives it (the crew must use it at all times, and it must be made available to passengers). So, is it legal to fly all day long at 12,000 feet—4,000 feet above the cabin altitude of most jet airliners—all day long without supplemental oxygen? The answer is yes. Is that important?

• READ MORE: Plane Facts: Altitude

The Effects of Altitude on Our Bodies

If you watch NASCAR racing on TV, every so often, one of the top drivers will lose control, hit the wall hard and earn a trip to the infield care center. When asked what caused the accident by the TV announcer, the driver might say that they “just ran out of talent.”

Luckily, unlike race drivers who live on the edge, pilots tend to fly right down the middle of the envelope. However, just as race drivers put in endless laps to hone their skills, pilots should have the same attitude about proficiency. As the saying goes, practice makes perfect, or if not perfect, then at least safer and more effective.

When it comes to building and maintaining proficiency, the pandemic has thrown a major-league-level curve ball our way. While general aviation has remained available during the last couple difficult years, flying hours have been down, cross-country travel limited and intentional practice may have suffered. Now is a great time to find the local CFI and brush up on those crosswind landings, instrument approach procedures and navigation in busy terminal airspace. Currency does not always equal competency, so most of us could use the practice—and besides, your local CFI could use the business!

Normalization of Deviance

These three little words are some of the most dangerous in aviation. Simply put, if a pilot cuts corners by intentionally deviating from accepted procedure and then repeats this often enough, it soon becomes the new standard. Substandard or even illegal procedures that are repeated become the norm eventually.

The VFR pilot who flies into the clouds while scud running has probably slipped between the mountain ridges and the cloud bases several times before and gotten away with it. Pilots with poor checklist discipline are prime candidates for the dreaded gear-up landing, among other errors.
Our friends in the military and the airlines are scrupulous about aircraft airworthiness, checklist discipline and following established procedures. However, many more general aviation accident reports than we would like to admit are replete with out-of-license airplanes, non-current pilots and checklist or procedural errors.

While these aren’t always the primary cause of the accident, each indicates a general lack of discipline that can lead to something worse. Normalization of deviance is the most subtle of the hazards we face. It is an attitude that develops over time and then turns around to bite us when we are least prepared.

Experience Begets Judgment/Experience Results from Poor Judgments

So, what should we think about all of this? If we are honest, we can all remember times when we made a poor decision and relied upon a bit of luck to safely complete a flight. Each of us may have a few bad habits that we have been meaning to get rid of. And once or twice, we may have come close to running out of talent but lived to tell the tale.

Hopefully, these minor excursions into the danger zone have been learning experiences and make us stronger. The moral of this story is that pilots are simply human beings. As such, the decisions we make can be influenced by the presence and actions of others, our past experiences and our own personality traits, good and bad. Managing risk is often about facing these challenges and responding in a mature, thoughtful and well-practiced manner.

• READ MORE: Deadly Attitudes: Know How To Spot Risky Thinking

So, the next time you go to the local airshow, take time to consider how the successful airshow pilots prepare for and fly their routines. The non-aviation-savvy public thinks of them as daredevils, but we know better. Before each flight, they consider the weather, the crowd line and airport layout and then mentally rehearse their performance.

The maneuvers, which look daring and dangerous to the crowd, have been practiced hundreds of times and the video reviewed after each flight. And these professionals are never afraid to call off a flight if the conditions are less than predetermined minimums. Each one of these talented folks demonstrates risk management at its best. Fly safe. 

Editor’s note: This story originally appeared in the July 2023 issue of Plane & Pilot magazine.

The post Supplemental Oxygen for the Rest of Us appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

But as planes got faster, it became clear that aircraft needed some kind of enclosure to protect the pilot from the airstream. So, planes were given enclosures, and those enclosures were by necessity given doors. There are a few unspoken rules about doors. One, they don’t work very well in general, and two, airplane makers are all for putting as few of them on their planes as possible. It seems crazy, but the practice of shortchanging owners on the number of doors is rooted in a few commonsense concerns. Doors are heavy, hard to get to work well, and for low-wing planes, they require additional structure on the part of the wing that gets walked on, for obvious reasons.

Finally, doors aren’t as structurally integral to the fuselage as having no door is, so planes are automatically at least a bit stronger the fewer doors they have. So, putting just one door in a plane, as you see on many Piper, Beechcraft and Mooney single-engine models, is done to save weight, cost and complexity and to maximize the structural integrity. And while doors have gotten better, thanks to better manufacturing methods that yield closer tolerances and a better fit, the struggle is real, both for manufacturers, which need to figure out how to make a good-fitting, light and durable door, and for pilots and their passengers, who get to fight to make do with the few doors they’ve got.

• First airplane doors: Perhaps the Avro Model 12, which was the first plane with an interior
• Doors grow in popularity: Mid-1920s
• Cheat code: On several models, pilots were in the open and passengers inside an enclosure
• Door-making challenge: No suitable materials to make windows
• Window/door breakthrough: The invention of acrylic glass in the early 1930s
• Popular enclosure type: The bubble canopy
• Door on bubble canopies? The canopy itself either hinges open or slides rearward
• Potential safety risk? Canopies can open in flight, sometimes leading to a fatal crash
• Doors become popular: 1930s, popularized on cabin-class biplanes and monoplanes
• Material used for the doors: Usually the same materials as the rest of the plane
• Early cabin biplane: Beechcraft D-17 Staggerwing
• Max occupants: 5
• Number of doors: 1
• 1930s innovation that complicated doors: Pressurization
• 1930s airliner: Douglas DC-3
• Number of passengers: Up to 32
• Number of doors: One
• J-3 Cub of mid-1930s: One Dutch door for both occupants
• Advantage: You can fly with it open
• Ercoupe of 1930s: First popular slide-back canopy
• Advantage: Roll it back in flight
• First modern piston single: 1947 Beechcraft Bonanza
• Number of seats: 4
• Number of doors: 1
• Ultimate Bonanza expression: Current G-36 Bonanza
• Number of seats: 6
• Number of doors: 2 (progress!)
• Most popular plane: Cessna 172
• Doors? 2
• Other popular ’60s planes: Piper PA-28
• Doors? 1
• Position of door: On the passengers’ side
• Reason: Unknown
• 1970s innovation: Beechcraft Model 23 Sundowner
• Doors? 2! One on each side
• Safety concern: Door popping open in flight
• Level of risk: From the door being open, almost none
• Reason for increased risk: Pilot panic over the open door, loss of control
• Airliners number of doors: Often up to three
• Used for boarding and deplaning: Just one
• Reason: Jetways are set up for one-door operations
• Exception: Airbus A380 jumbo jet
• Boarding doors: Three
• Reason: Saves a lot of time when boarding as many as 500 passengers
• Time to board full A380 flight: As little as 20 minutes
• Early Cessna 172 issue, circa 1956: Poor door functionality
• Early Cirrus SR22 issue, circa 2001:Poor door functionality
• Number of doors on six-passenger TBM introduced in 1990: One
• First year pilot-side door offered as an option: 2002
• Cost: Around $50,000
• Added weight: Around 75 pounds

This article was originally published in the May 2023 Issue of Plane & Pilot. Subscribe today so you don’t miss an issue!

The post Airplane Doors appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.