After three years of not exhibiting at NBAA-BACE due to the Covid pandemic, paint manufacturer Sherwin-Williams Aerospace Coatings (Booth 3169) is back. “We’re excited to get in front of our key customers,” said Julie Voisin, global marketing manager.

In addition to showing attendees how they can play with color combinations on the Sherwin-Williams color visualizer, the company is highlighting its JetPen Touchup paint pen at its booth.

While future paint job customers can test any of 333 Sherwin-Williams colors on the visualizer (also available online), there are some trends that rise above the normal ebb and flow of color choices, Voisin told AIN, among them semi-gloss or matte finishes in grays and blacks. A recent example is the matte-gray Falcon 900 (see photo), painted by West Star Aviation, with eye-popping mango orange accents and striping.

“[The trend] is a little all over the place,” Voisin said. “It’s splitting down the middle. A lot of people like the regal look of white with accent stripes. The other 50 percent are going a little more colorful, and we’re seeing more effect finishes such as metallics and micas, a lot more gray shades instead of white overall.”

Some of the more unique paint jobs, she added, include camouflage patterns and aircraft body colors in flashy shades such as bright green. “Some people are trying to be not noticed and some are [saying], ‘Hey, if I’m going to have a business jet or general aviation airplane, I want to be recognized and noticed and take risks with color and design.'”

There is nothing new in the paint world as far as maintenance goes, except there are maintenance considerations for semi-gloss and matte finishes. Glossy paint is easier to touch up and match with careful buffing. But the semi-gloss and matte paints need extra work for scratch repairs because touchups will be more noticeable and repainting of a damaged area may be needed, according to Voisin.

That’s not to say that semi-gloss and matte paints aren’t durable, however. “We’ve been doing semi-gloss and matte with the military for years,” she said, “although the standards for appearance for military compared to business aircraft are very different.” In any case, longevity with these types of paint isn’t a concern.

Maintaining a paint job in peak condition isn’t hard, according to Voisin. “Our number-one tip for keeping it looking good is don’t put too much product on it. Waxes can end up doing more damage to the coating over time.” The recommended treatment is simply washing with Dawn dish soap and water. “The paint is designed to handle the conditions it’s being put under,” she said.

No matter the kind of paint, prospective paint customers can try out the Sherwin-Williams color palette on six different airframe types in the visualizer, including a helicopter. There are two preloaded designs to get started, provided by paint design house Scheme Designers (Booth 1360).

“The purpose is so you can play with color and see what combinations you like,” Voisin said. Users can not only select the body and accent colors but also spin the model aircraft around to view the paint scheme from any direction.

“Then you can take it to your designer for your specific model and your taste,” she said. The chosen design can also be shared on social media. “It’s a fun way to experience color and get your initial thoughts working with our palette,” Voisin added.

“We’ve had a lot of positive reaction from the design community,” said Sherwin-Williams spokesman Chris Lynch. “We’re not taking their jobs away, and it gives the designer a much closer heads-up and saves time and money.”

The JetPen is not just a tiny container of paint but is a multi-component touchup tool. The paint and the hardener capsule are separate, and when it’s time for a touchup, bending the pen breaks the hardener capsule so it can mix with the paint. The pen holds 10 cc of paint and includes a chisel tip and brush tip. Paints are available in the pen form as primers and Jet Glo Express topcoat and JetFlex cabin coatings. NBAA-BACE visitors can try out the JetPen at the Sherwin-Williams booth.