At the risk of rising to the ‘bait’ I decided to get a few facts about airframe painting at Newark Air Museum.
In the last six months 10% of the airframes have had significant quantities of paint applied:
Dove
Meteor NF14 [in pieces in the workshop undergoing ‘deep restoration’]
Buccaneer
Sea Vixen
Heron
Shackleton
MiG-23 [supplied & applied by an external supporter – thank you!]
Varsity [inside & out]
Other significant repaints completed in the last 12 months include the Chipmunk and Gnat.
As of last night I can confirm that the Lightning [see current avatar for scheme] and MiG-27 are next to receive attention. One thought before some figures – two years ago the Buccaneer looked like the Lightning, mainly due to the deterioration of a ‘restorative varnish’ applied several years ago.
The type of paint used at Newark is selected on the basis of application methods, location of the airframe and the location of the museum site next to a watercourse. All of these factors affect the Risk Assessments, Method Statements and paint selection [COSHH].
Typically the museum uses etch primer, undercoat, topcoat and occasionally lacquer finish. Depending on producer and type of paint the average cost per 5 litres [approx 1 gallon] is £ 30.00 + VAT.
Two examples of quantities involved:
Buccaneer – approx 85 litres of ‘paints’ were used; cost £ 510.00 + VAT
Dove [ongoing] – approx 35 litres of ‘paints’ used so far; cost £ 210.00 + VAT
This does not cover the cost of any markings or subsequent remedial work.
Food for thought – one non-gift aid adult admission to the museum costs £ 6.25, which buys approximately 1 litre of paint!
Further food for thought – insurance premiums have just risen by around 10% = approx an extra £ 75.00 per month! 😮
Regular restoration updates appear here http://www.newarkairmuseum.org/news.php
🙂 Footnote to cockpitters [and any other interested parties] – following its recent public debut at this year’s Cockpit-Fest, I’m pleased to report that the restoration of the museum’s Harvard cockpit section has formally commenced.
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