Exotic Helicopter Paint Scheme Demands Coatings Excellence

Exterior helicopter painting is often considered more difficult than that for fixed-wing aircraft;

normally the paint crew does not have to take apart every single external airframe piece of a

737.

So when a corporate customer came in looking for an intricate paint pattern, on every intricate

piece of a brand-new AgustaWestland AW139, the team at SureFlight LLC took on a project that

quite possibly topped anything to come before.

SureFlight, located about 30 miles west of Philadelphia International Airport, provides full

custom new paint jobs for fixed-wing and rotor aircraft as well as small repair painting,

changing of accent stripe colors, or changing of N-numbers. The company also provides interior

services ranging from a full interior completion to small jobs such as custom stitched leather

seats. Customers include other regional repair stations, regional aircraft suppliers, and OEMs as

well as direct owner/operators.

The subject of SureFlight’s recent challenging task, the AW139, is a new-generation medium

twin-turbine helicopter that can carry as many as 15 passengers in its spacious cabin. Its two

turbines and five-bladed main rotor allow it to acheive speeds approaching 200 mph and

maintain high cruising speeds. The AW139 can be used for a range of applications including

executive/VIP transport, EMS/SAR, offshore OGP support, fire fighting, and law enforcement. It

also undertakes paramilitary and military roles.

This particular AW139, used for corporate travel, was slated for exotic treatment. Its private

owner described an exterior paint design forwarded by his daughter, an art major, and inspired

by a Caribbean parrot fish.

“This project was among the most intricate paint jobs I’ve ever undertaken,” says DeWitte

Binkley.

And that is really saying something. As SureFlight’s general manager and its first hired

employee, Binkley leads the company’s team of top-notch technicians – each undergoes factory

training on an annual basis – in providing exquisite aircraft exterior and interior finishes. Binkley

began painting aircraft 40 years ago, with Atlantic Aviation in Wilmington, DE, and has since

devoted his career to aircraft refinishing. Prior to joining SureFlight, Binkley served for 22 years

as a supervisor at Sikorsky’s Keystone Helicopter, and before that he managed Agusta

Westland’s paint shop.

“Not only the AW139 project design, but the use of colors – seven colors total – was intricate,”

he recalls. “It is one thing to put some nice vertical or horizontal striping in, but this was like

four or five paint jobs in one.”

The SureFlight team formulated the final paint design scheme by hand, with Binkley and Sean,

his son, performing the layout on the aircraft.

“As is typical on our helicopter projects, we laid out one side of the aircraft, had the customer

bless that side, and then we created what we consider a mirror image on the other side,”

Binkley explains.

With the new helicopter in a work bay, the SureFlight team removed a large portion of the

newly delivered aircrafts’ OEM factory primer and also prepped the airframe and performed

body work. Then the layout work began.

“We had the customer involved through the whole process including design, layout and

painting,” Binkley recalls. “During layout and for the painting we worked in sections to provide

the overlays, overlaps and wave motion.”

SureFlight employed premier aerospace coating products from Sherwin-Williams including its

SKYscapes® (LINK:

http://www.swaerospace.com/products/brands/skyscapes/#sthash.ABMYbKWZ.dpuf) basecoat-

clearcoat polyester urethane and Acry Glo® (LINK:

http://www.swaerospace.com/products/brands/acry-glo/#sthash.EVu4Wbj8.dpuf) acrylic

urethane for color.

The SKYscapes system is a unique two-step process featuring specially formulated resins to

deliver richer color and higher gloss retention while providing improved hiding with thinner films

on bright, multi-colored schemes. In addition, its rapid curing time can cut as much as 30

percent from the painting-process time.

Acry Glo is an acrylic urethane topcoat finish that is quick drying, exhibits outstanding gloss

and delivers gloss retention upon weathering. This high-quality, rugged aerospace coating

offers outstanding durability and beauty with a chip resistance that keeps equipment looking its

best, even in extremely harsh conditions.

From start to finish, including preparation, layout and coating, the job took three weeks. And a

job such as this demands excellence from the paint products as well as the technicians.

“When passengers or a plane owner walks up to a fixed-wing aircraft, they often only see the

entranceway; so that’s all they might see of the paint job,” says Binkley, explaining the

difference between painting fixed-wing fliers and helicopters. “With helicopters, the crew, owner

and passengers can walk around the entire aircraft and view it from almost any angle, so the

paint job has to be perfect all the way around.”

Of course, the general difficulty in painting helicopters is compounded when tackling a project

such as the Caribbean-fish-inspired AW139.

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