REFLECTOR: Painting with Awlgrip

Sat Jul 2 06:34:08 CDT 2005

Thought you guys would be interested in information on airbags.

Fred

Why airbags are important to the GA market

According to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) 2004 Nall
Report, the general aviation industry has experienced its safest year ever
recorded.  Statistics show just a 2.5% increase in the total number of
accidents that occurred in 2003.  This increase correlates directly with the
slight increase in flight hours flown.  Fortunately, almost 80% of these
accidents were non-fatal and almost 76% of the accidents were pilot-related.
More than 50% of all GA accidents occurred during the takeoff or landing
phases of flight.  These figures represent what happened in 2003, but one
year of general aviation activity alone is not enough to represent what has
occurred historically.

Looking back 10 years from 1994 to 2003, overall GA accidents decreased to
25.3% and fatal accidents dropped to just below 25%.  While these figures
are relatively low considering the timeframe, it is important to note that
between 70% and 80% of these accidents were directly related to the pilot.
Most pilots believe they are safe when they fly, but these statistics point
to human error as the direct cause of accidents that could potentially have
been avoided.  Although more experienced pilots are less likely to become
accident statistics, they are also more likely to take more risks by flying
in more challenging conditions than less experienced pilots would take.
Mistakes happen and people are hurt or killed because of human error, poor
skill, or lack of judgment.  As evidence, seven out of 10 accidents, or 71%
of accidents in 2003 occurred when pilots were flying for personal reasons.
Of these personal travel accidents, almost 76% were fatal.  It is reasonable
to infer that pilots flying for personal reasons may benefit from the added
protection of AmSafe Aviation's Inflatable Restraint (AAIR®) systems on
board.

The AAIR® is essentially an airbag which is built directly into the seatbelt
so that when the sensors detect an impending aircraft incident, the airbag
will deploy up and away from the seat occupant to protect the head and upper
torso from injuries within the cockpit.  The AAIR® airbag is comparable
protection on board an airplane to what one has in his or her automobile.
Everyone knows it is safer to drive with airbags, so it makes sense to infer
that it is safer to fly with airbags on board.

Thanks!

Laura

Laura Neel, PR/Marketing Specialist

AmSafe Aviation, Inflatable Restraints Division

5456 E. McDowell Rd., Suite 101
Mesa, AZ 85215

Tel: 480.344.4710

Mobile: 602.410.7191

Fax: 480.344.4777

www.amsafeaviation.com

----- Original Message -----
From: "Bob Jackson" <bobj at computer.org>
To: "Velocity Aircraft Owners and Builders list" <reflector at tvbf.org>
Sent: Saturday, July 02, 2005 3:18 AM
Subject: RE: REFLECTOR: Painting with Awlgrip

> Hello Ronnie,
>
> Glad to hear you're painting now with AWLgrip -- here are my comments and
> questions:
>
> a)  you've got to wait at least 30-45 minutes between coats, i.e., for
them
> to "flash off" first before going on to the next coat.  Waiting longer
helps
> reduce the chance for runs.  We've usually been waiting 1 1/2 hours or so.
> If you don't wait long enough the next coat may not be able to flow and
> flatten properly.  I've had problems with what look like dry areas when
> coming immediately back over an area just painted, even though I'm sure
> there should be plenty of paint there.  In this manner, the early second
> coat may have created the "seeds" for the third coat orange peel.  How
long
> did you wait between coats?
>
> b)  The AWLgrip literature says the first coat should be slightly wet,
with
> the next coats (what sounds to me like full-) wet coats.  I know Scott
said
> he had good luck with a full wet first coat, then lighter and lighter
second
> and third coats.  But, I think if you shoot too dry of a second or third
> coat, there won't be enough there to re-flow and level out, perhaps in
this
> way you created the orange peel by not getting enough on with the second
> coat.
>
> c)  the first coat seems to be the key for us in minimizing orange peel.
> It's got to be what I would call a full wet coat otherwise it forms the
> "seeds" for later orange peel.  Also, I think I get the best coats if I
put
> each on in a single pass.  Common practice would dictate putting a coat on
> in two passes, each perpendicular to the other to ensure a more even
> coverage.  But with AWLgrip the second pass, even though just a few
minutes
> from the first, can look dry and doesn't always seem to flow in with the
> first pass.
>
> d)  I like 30% reducer for similar temperature and humidity conditions to
> yours, like we get here in Florida.  This seemed to be a key for us in
> minimizing orange peel.  But the literature says if you reduce beyond the
> recommended 20-25% you will need three, not the more usual two coats to
get
> the required thickness.
>
> e)  I've been told that 10 psi is the maximum you can use and still be
> considered HVLP.  We've been using 6 psi.  You may possibly be getting too
> much paint (and air) out at 10 psi and somehow that's contributing to
orange
> peel.
>
> f)  Why did you paint just single sides of each control surface?  You can
> not blend together coats of AWLgrip where coat edges meet, like on the
> leading edge of the elevators.  We've been hanging ours up, with extra
lines
> to prevent them from turning from the force of the spray, and painting the
> entire control surfaces in one step.  AWLgrip is not like two step
paints --
> it's a base coat and top coat all in one (unless you're using AWLgrip
2000,
> which is a two step version).  There is no way to buff out the seams and
> overspray areas between two adjoining AWLgrip coats.
>
> g)  Are you sure about the 40 sq ft and 29 ounce numbers?  My rough
> calculation for what you said you painted was only about 27 sq ft, but
using
> your 40 and 210 sq ft/gal number, 40/210 x 128 oz = 24 oz.  Also, although
> we haven't keep accurate usage numbers, I was thinking we were getting
more
> like 300 sq ft/gal coverage, but I could be wrong on this.  It depends a
lot
> on the spray efficiency you're getting (how much overspray).  With smaller
> items like you painted I think efficiency might be a little higher than
with
> large areas like wings and fuselage because it's a more "controlled"
> situation.
>
> h)  AWLgrip seems to be touchy WRT orange peel, but one thing to remember
is
> that once it drys and you take it out into the direct sunlight, it becomes
> much harder to see the orange peel.  AWLgrip has such a deep shine, and
with
> the diffuse light of direct sun, you tend not to see the orange peel.  I
> think that's why we've been advised that the worst error is the "drys",
not
> orange peel or runs which are harder to notice in the sunlight.
>
> We'll be AWLgrip painting the fuselage tomorrow morning -- I'll let you
know
> if we learn something more new from that.  With the temperatures now in
the
> 90's, the AWLgrip literature also says we should be using almost 50/50
blend
> of T003 and T005 reducers.  I think this is to avoid too fast of solvent
> evaporation and the resulting "solvent pop" pock marks, which we've seen
> almost none of so far.
>
> Good luck,
> Bob Jackson
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: reflector-bounces at tvbf.org [mailto:reflector-bounces at tvbf.org]On
> Behalf Of Ron Brown
> Sent: Friday, July 01, 2005 5:12 PM
> To: reflector at tvbf.org
> Subject: REFLECTOR: Painting with Awlgrip
>
> I shot the bottom of my control surfaces today.  Temperature was 91 but
with
> humidity of 49%
>
> I got a beautiful first coat - light but wet finish.  The second coat was
> shot after it started getting tacky.  It came out a little dry looking -
> still trying to keep it from getting too thick.  The third coat, light
again
> but wet turned into orange peel.
>
> Did I shoot the first coat too wet?  I used the standard reducer in a HF
> HVLP gun (10 psi on the regulator) and mixed the reducer to 30%.
>
> By the way, after shooting the 3 coats, I still had 6 oz left.  I
calculated
> the standard coverage of 210 sq feet per gallon.  I shot the bottoms of
the
> control surfaces, one side of each rudder and the main gear leg doors.
> Equals 40 sq feet and calculated to take 29 ounces of mixed paint but only
> needed 23 ounces to cover with three coats.
>
> Thanks for the help AND HAVE A HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!!!
> Ronnie
>
>
>
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