Elliott Aviation gave this Challenger an iridescent, “pearlized” look.
“There aren’t many million dollar paint booths in the nation with computer controlled temperature and humidity,” said Kirk Wood, paint shop manager in Elliott Aviation’s completion center.
“Most paint booths are essentially a hangar with exhaust fans and a few other modifications. But we have down-draft type technology featuring a floor-level exhaust that captures paint overspray and inhibits outside contaminants from entering the booth. We have balanced airflow that is smooth and even in all areas of the spray booth, and the supply air intake uses a four-stage filtration system for a sustainable clean air environment.”
One of the benefits of this type of paint booth is that by never deviating from standard temperature and humidity, you never have to chemically alter the paint you use, a practice that can open the door to many problems—not the least of which is that experts at painting aircraft are not necessarily chemistry experts. And not getting the chemistry exactly right can result in a reduction of gloss, paint adhesion and useful life of the paint job.
“We mix our paint the same way each time, taking chemistry out of the equation,” Wood said. “This paint booth, plus Wynn Elliott’s determination to have the best paint facility in the nation, is why I’m here. I get to do first-class work in a first-class facility.”
A pearl of a Challenger
In late September 2004, Elliott delivered its first full paint job on a Challenger to Rupari Food Services, Inc. in Boca Raton, Fla. The customer wanted an iridescent, “pearlized” look for the aircraft exterior, so Wood’s team at Elliott went to work and produced a pearl of a paint job!
First they painted the Challenger and then sanded and cleaned the surface. Next they applied two coats of clear paint (with no pigment) to which they had added Pearl Flaire (10 grams per gallon) to give the exterior a pearl-like iridescence. Then two coats of clear paint alone were added to protect the iridescent, Pearl Flaire finish.
The CEO at Rupari sent an email to Wynn Elliott stating that he has never seen such quality work since he has been involved in aviation.
A Phoenix-based Citation
“These are bright, capable people, and they do great work,” said Larry Karpurk.
Karpurk is chief of maintenance and a pilot for the aviation department at a utility company in Phoenix. They operate a Citation 560, a Bell 212 and a Bell 206. Their Citation recently received exterior paint as well as an interior renewal at Elliott Aviation’s completion center in Moline, Ill.
Why did a Citation based in Phoenix travel to a completion center in Moline to be painted?
“Because in the past we had a very satisfactory experience at Elliott Aviation after they were highly recommended by Raytheon Aircraft Company,” Karpurk said. “The price was competitive and the aircraft looks great! We will continue to recommend Elliott Aviation enthusiastically.”
A King Air 350 from Norfolk
Mike Young, director of maintenance at FHC Flight Services in Norfolk, Va., is responsible for their King Air 350, Cessna 421C and Citation X. The King Air 350 was painted and interior renewal and upgrades were done at Elliott’s completion center.
“Elliott Aviation made a major investment up front that enables them to do the kind of quality job that doesn’t have to be redone to meet even the highest customer standards,” he said. “They have experienced people using top technology processes, and their work reflects the value of that investment.”
“I not only recommend Elliott’s completion center, I recommend all their services. Whatever they do works great with no squawks. We’ve been totally happy with everything, so I’m a big supporter of Elliott Aviation.”
First-class work in a first-class facility seems to be the answer, no matter what kind of aircraft you operate. Give it a try at Elliott Aviation.
Contact Elliott Aviation at 877-456-3100.