FINALLY! She's Painted!!!

[Rupester]

After three years of flying and giving the ?polish thing? a serious try, I decided to give Sweetheart #3 (after, of course, #1 Long-Suffering Spouse (#1) and #2 Lovely Daughter) a brand new dress for Christmas. The timing with Woodlake Aircraft Refinishing (in Sandwich, IL) worked out perfectly, coinciding with my annual one-month holiday in Florida. Before I say any more, let me thank some very significant people:

1) Friend and fellow VAFer Dave Burden, who gave me permission to copy his gorgeous paint scheme. I knew since he painted his 9A in 2006 that was my all-time favorite paint.
2) Flying buds Tanya and Jack in EAA Chapter 129, who enabled getting the plane to and from Woodlake painters.
3) Last and FAR from the least, huge thanks to Woodlake Aircraft Refinishing ( http://www.planepainter.com/ ). From head honchos Mike Stadfeld and Don Boldan, to specialists Bob and Jason, they did a fantastic job of prepping, caring for, and painting my precious 9A. They exceeded my every expectation throughout the process, and especially with the final product. My biggest concern was actually the re-assembly process, since nobody in the world has turned a wrench on that airplane but me. My concerns were for naught, as Jason, their reassembly specialist, did a flawless job of putting 385TE back together. Every nut, bolt, washer, cotter pin, and rivet was perfectly reinstalled. My detailed inspection at the time of pickup (with a 3 1/2 page checklist ) turned out to be totally unnecessary. Woodlake Aircraft Refinishing is a wonderful resource for RVers in the Midwest ?. Their central location couldn?t be handier.

Seeing her painted is almost as exciting as first engine start and first flight. ....Almost. )

[Mike S]

Terry, congrats on the new paint.

Looks good!!

[Vlad]

Sharp! 10 knots right there.

[Steve Melton]

looks good!

[Fearless]

Very nice Terry. Painting yourself is really time consuming. I envy you guys who got professional paint jobs but I just didn't have the funds. Trying to find out about that first start excitement.

[Rupester]

One of the reasons it took me 3 years was $$. after sparing no expense on construction, I was determined to find a way to finish her for less $$ than a pro paint job. Along the way I learned:
a) polishing is an incredible amount of work, even with power buffers. And it's ongoing, recurring work once you see what it takes to keep it looking really good.
b) I'm lousy at painting with a spray gun. I sprayed two-part epoxy primer on all the FB parts and it was a horrible process for me. Zero experience at it. I remain convinced the only way to be a good spray painter is to do a LOT of it. It require LOTS of practice
c) I ran out patience with FG prep and the pinhole dance.
d) after 3 yrs of screwing around, I had the $$ to have her professionally done!!

[BillL]

Nicely Done Terry!

It is really good to see your plane in paint. Is it done now, or do you have more projects?

[Rupester]

It's done now..... Well, pretty much done, anyway. I think. . I'm thinking of an interior mod and a few other details, but nuthin' serious. The next serious change will be the ADSB decision.

[rv7adak]

Way to go Terry, looks really nice can't wait to see it at next chapter meeting.

Dave K
RV7A IO360
tip up

[rockwoodrv9]

Very nice Terry. Im getting closer - hope to be in the air this spring!