Flying Colours Aviation repainted a QantasLink 717 airplane with a basecoat-clearcoat coatings system by PPG Industries’ aerospace business that delivered what it promised—a quickly achieved, smooth, high-gloss finish. “The DESOTHANE^® HD/CA 9008 basecoat-clearcoat system by PPG Aerospace gave Flying Colours Aviation a really successful paint job,” said Rich Wilkinson, sales manager at the PPG Aerospace application support center (ASC) in Tullamarine, Victoria, Australia.

According to Linda Armstrong, Flying Colours Aviation managing director, there is always concern when using a new paint system, but the Australian aircraft painting company is pleased with the basecoat-clearcoat paint system and the support from PPG’s coatings team. “QantasLink made a good decision choosing the PPG basecoat-clearcoat paint system,” Armstrong said. “It performed extremely well and delivered exactly what PPG said it would. It is a painter-friendly product and environmentally adaptable, and it provides a high-quality gloss level.”

Wilkinson and a team of PPG aerospace coatings experts including John Navarro, U.S. team lead for technical service, and John Tong, Asia-Pacific technical services manager, worked with Flying Colours Aviation to provide the full benefit of PPG’s product and process advantages. “PPG’s base colors dry in only a few hours, are easily repaired with good color matching, and do not retain glue from stencils,” Wilkinson said. “The clearcoat can be applied up to five days after basecoat application, which allows for a faster process and flexibility. The clearcoat is easy to sand and polish if defects need to be removed.”

High-solids DESOTHANE HD/CA 9008 basecoat-clearcoat systems have a heavily pigmented basecoat that provides more color with less paint than traditional coatings, saving material, weight and application time. The clearcoat provides extended service life, improved buffability and a smoother surface that is easier to clean.

“PPG basecoats have great opacity, and the clearcoat application properties remain consistent, without tending to pinhole or sag,” Wilkinson said.

Flying Colours Aviation painted the QantasLink 717 airplane at its Townsville Airport paint facility in Queensland, making the aircraft the first to be painted with DESOTHANE HD/CA 9008 basecoat-clearcoat system in Australia.

 Editor’s note: DESOTHANE is a registered trademark of PRC-DeSoto International Inc.