Depression after Washing

My kid and I just washed the plane. Even after washing it, there are
still chips of paint missing, a bit of rust, a drip-stain of fuel, and
so on. The panel looks like it has been modified every once in a
while since 1966. My plane is relatively nice compared to the other
ones on the field, but it's still in worse cosmetic condition than my
car.

None of these problems is a safety issue, and none of them could be
fixed without spending significant time and/or money.

One of the reasons we own airplanes is pride of ownership.

This makes me sad. Makes me want to sell and rent.

"CT" == Charles Talleyrand writes:

CT This makes me sad. Makes me want to sell and rent.

Hold that emotion. Sell, and build new. In the experimental category
you get far more modern and cheaper goods and replace them anytime you
want.
--
The fascist state is the corporate state.
~ Benito Mussolini

Strip the paint off and fly with polished aluminum.
You will gain about 100 pounds of useful load and be able to tell at a
glance the condition of the aircraft.
Keep it polished and you will be amazed at how much better it performs
without all the surface imperfection drag.

Strip the paint off and fly with polished aluminum.
You will gain about 100 pounds of useful load and be able to tell at a
glance the condition of the aircraft.
Keep it polished and you will be amazed at how much better it performs
without all the surface imperfection drag.

Of course, you will have absolutely *zero* time to fly....but, dang, it'll
sure look cool!

We almost bought a bare aluminum Ercoupe. I'm really, REALLY glad we
didn't. I waste too much time already polishing Atlas' prop and spinner.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
Ercoupe N94856
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

In article 6RV9k.231534$yE1.53416@attbi_s21,
"Jay Honeck" wrote:

Strip the paint off and fly with polished aluminum.
You will gain about 100 pounds of useful load and be able to tell at a
glance the condition of the aircraft.
Keep it polished and you will be amazed at how much better it performs
without all the surface imperfection drag.

Of course, you will have absolutely *zero* time to fly....but, dang, it'll
sure look cool!
We almost bought a bare aluminum Ercoupe. I'm really, REALLY glad we
didn't. I waste too much time already polishing Atlas' prop and spinner.

It really isn't as bad as you make it out to be.
You polish on rainy spring days, before the real flying season begins
and let it go the rest of the year. Maybe touch it up in August on days
when it is too hot to fly.

On 2008-06-30, John Smith wrote:
It really isn't as bad as you make it out to be.
You polish on rainy spring days, before the real flying season begins
and let it go the rest of the year. Maybe touch it up in August on days
when it is too hot to fly.

Coming in to this thread very late...

Actually, it is as bad as that unless you live in the desert. I owned a
polished plane (Cessna 140). It was only half polished, too - just the
lower half of the fuselage, the tailplane, and flaps. The rest was
painted.

To keep it looking nice required a whole day of polishing, a minimum
period of once every two months. By whole day I mean at least 12 hours.
(I rarely did it all in a day, usually I spent a weekend doing it so I
could do other stuff too). This was for an itty bitty plane and only
half polished with the more difficult to polish bits (things like upper
wing surfaces) painted. A completely polished Cherokee, for example,
would be at least three days work every two months to keep looking nice.
The plane absolutely must be hangared too. We also used Nuvite, the
final polish grade of that stuff also leaves a bit of a coating that
keeps it shiny for much longer.

The result with our C140 was of course stunning, especially when the
plane was parked on a rural turf airfield, with the polished underside
and tail reflecting the green grass, trees and blue sky. But it was a
BIG commitment to keep it that way. On the plus side you really get to
know the skin of the plane well and each session of polishing is a
rather thorough inspection.

--
From the sunny Isle of Man.
Yes, the Reply-To email address is valid.

"Jay Honeck" wrote in
news:6RV9k.231534$yE1.53416@attbi_s21:

Strip the paint off and fly with polished aluminum.
You will gain about 100 pounds of useful load and be able to tell at
a glance the condition of the aircraft.
Keep it polished and you will be amazed at how much better it
performs without all the surface imperfection drag.

Of course, you will have absolutely *zero* time to fly....but, dang,
it'll sure look cool!

We almost bought a bare aluminum Ercoupe. I'm really, REALLY glad we
didn't.

So is the airplane, I'm sure.


Bertie

"Charles Talleyrand" wrote:

This makes me sad. Makes me want to sell and rent.

Don't.

Renting is far more depressing,.

Fly and be proud1

--
Dan

T182T at 4R4

"Dan Luke" wrote in message
news

Renting is far more depressing,.

Yes, but the depression only lasts for a short while. When I leave the
airplane, and all the problems and expenses of ownership, sitting on the ramp, I
always leave with a happy smile on my face. Renting rocks!

Vaughn

Vaughn Simon wrote:
"Dan Luke" wrote in message
news
Renting is far more depressing,.

Yes, but the depression only lasts for a short while. When I leave the
airplane, and all the problems and expenses of ownership, sitting on the ramp, I
always leave with a happy smile on my face. Renting rocks!

Vaughn




In this day and age of high cost's and excessive liability
renting is becoming more economical and practical than owning