Paint

One of the things about my plane is that the paint is... well... not great. I don't know if it's ever been painted since new, either by stripping it down to the metal and all new paint, or by simply sanding it down and painting over the existing coat.

Painting an airplane the "right" way, by stripping it down to the bare metal, applying primer, and then new paint, is an expensive proposition. We're talking well over $10,000, and maybe even $20K. For this reason, a lot of owners are willing to get by on the existing paint even if it's pretty rough, as long as the plane is otherwise well maintained.

When I bought this plane, I knew what condition the paint was in as I was able to see it in person prior to purchase. But when I was cleaning the bird crap off the stabilator yesterday there were some stains that weren't coming off. I don't know if they were new or had been there for a while. Either way, it was really noticeable how the paint had degraded over the years.

I also noticed that the paint on the wings and stabilator has a different quality from that on the fuselage. The paint on the body is glossy. The paint on the wings and stabilator is not. It has a matte-type finish. I don't know if this is normal, or if it's a consequence of some other condition. Perhaps the body had been repainted at some point and the wings weren't. Or perhaps it's the other way around. Or maybe it's because there are two types of paint used depending on what part of the plane is being painted. All I know is that it's easier to clean bird crap off the fuselage than the wings and stabilator.

At some point I'm probably going to check into what it would take to paint the plane, or at least parts of it. My main concern is that the paint is adequate to protect the underlying aluminum. I'm not as concerned about it being really pretty, though looking nice is always better if you can have it.