Flight Training - July 2023 - 43

ADVANCED PILOT DAY IN THE LIFE
BY JILL W. TALLMAN
AIRCRAFT PAINTER
BRINGING BEAUTY BACK
VERY FEW THINGS EXCITE AN AIRPLANE OWNER MORE THAN A NEW
paint scheme. It's almost like getting an entirely new aircraft. With
an aging general aviation fleet whose owners are determined to keep
flying, paint shops are kept busy year-round, and paint technicians are
always in demand.
Megan Florian beautifies airplanes at Hayes Aviation at Colorado
Plains Regional Airport in Akron, Colorado (AKO). She joined the
fixed-base operator in 2014, and her first task was to learn how to
strip old layers of paint off aircraft. From there, she became adept at
all aspects of the very detailed process: priming; sanding; fixing hail
damage; " shooting " (applying) the base coat; applying the stripes used
in the final design; and then the detail work, which includes sealing
windows and changing out threaded fasteners.
Six to eight weeks is standard turnaround for a paint job. " We're
a small shop and have limited manpower, " Florian said. " We push
them through as fast as we can. " At the same time, her team needs to
be thorough and precise. " A lot of people don't understand how much
goes into it, " Florian said.
While flying experience is not necessary to work in a paint shop,
Florian said she likes to see candidates take ownership in their projects
and bring a passion to the finished product.
" Everything is built on top of how well [the airplane] is stripped
and primed, " she said. " It takes an army. " FT
jill.tallman@aopa.org
MEGAN FLORIAN
AIRCRAFT PAINTER
QUALIFICATIONS: No flying experience
needed, but a team mentality and pride in
work are key.
BENEFITS: Delivering an aircraft back to the
owner " when they see the finished product
as opposed to a piece of paper. I like happy
clients. " A Van's RV-14A she painted is the
May photo for the 2023 Sherwin-Williams
aircraft paint calendar.
DRAWBACKS: Not enough time in the day.
The base coat is the hardest to apply, and
if it's not right, nothing else will be right,
Florian says.
PAY: The national average is $22 per hour.
FLIGHT TRAINING JULY 2023
43
TOP: MIKE FIZER; RIGHT: MEGAN FLORIAN

Flight Training - July 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Flight Training - July 2023

Flight Training - July 2023 - Intro
Flight Training - July 2023 - Cover1
Flight Training - July 2023 - Cover2
Flight Training - July 2023 - 1
Flight Training - July 2023 - 2
Flight Training - July 2023 - 3
Flight Training - July 2023 - 4
Flight Training - July 2023 - 5
Flight Training - July 2023 - 6
Flight Training - July 2023 - 7
Flight Training - July 2023 - 8
Flight Training - July 2023 - 9
Flight Training - July 2023 - 10
Flight Training - July 2023 - 11
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Flight Training - July 2023 - 14
Flight Training - July 2023 - 15
Flight Training - July 2023 - 16
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Flight Training - July 2023 - 18
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Flight Training - July 2023 - Cover3
Flight Training - July 2023 - Cover4
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