Textron Aviation has qualified Sherwin-Williams Aerospace Coatings’ Skyscapes Next Generation (NG) exterior basecoat and clearcoat system for Cessna, Beechcraft, and Hawker aircraft. This new qualification, which includes both solid and effect colors, expands Sherwin-Williams’s relationship with Textron Aviation that goes back several decades.

The Wichita airframer previously qualified the Andover, Kansas-based company’s Acry Glo systems for use in both original equipment manufacture (OEM) airframes as well as re-paintings. Acry Glo includes a single-stage acrylic urethane designed for quick drying stripes or overall refinishing for smaller aircraft and helicopters and Jet Glo Express, a high-solids, single-stage polyurethane created for use on high-performance general aviation aircraft, business jets, and military and commercial aircraft.

Sherwin-Williams (Booth 3832) introduced Skyscapes in 2008 and the Skyscapes NG system about five years ago. The patented system is a two-component polyurethane topcoat designed for OEM and MRO aircraft refinishing that the company said provides a faster processing time, more color, and easier maintenance than similar competing systems. Besides Textron Aviation, Skyscapes NG has received OEM approvals from Embraer and Pilatus Aircraft as well as several system approvals with SAE International’s material specification AMS 3059 for commercial airliners.

"We are honored to expand our relationship with a distinguished manufacturer like Textron Aviation and its iconic aircraft brands,” said Molly Moses, Sherwin-Williams Aerospace Coatings North America sales manager. “This additional qualification provides Textron Aviation’s customers with multiple options. They can continue to utilize a traditional, single-stage system like Jet Glo Express or Acry Glo or if they want to utilize a basecoat-clearcoat finish, Textron Aviation now offers Skyscapes Next Generation. Depending upon the complexity of the scheme and the customer’s preferences, this gives Textron Aviation an array of optimized solutions.”