Paint Style Eras

[455 Bravo Uniform]

I got to thinking - can we probably bracket the year of a paint job +/- 10 years based on the style of the graphics? I know we can guesstimate based on interior upholstery. Anyone got a pic they want to post and have others guess the year of the paint? This is a just-for-fun thread, but figured I'd put it in this section of the forum because there might some interesting info to learn.

 

[GRG55]

 

[Pilawt]

That one actually spanned four years - but I won't spoil it and say which ones ...

 

[kyleb]

I got to thinking - can we probably bracket the year of a paint job +/- 10 years based on the style of the graphics? I know we can guesstimate based on interior upholstery. Anyone got a pic they want to post and have others guess the year of the paint? This is a just-for-fun thread, but figured I'd put it in this section of the forum because there might some interesting info to learn.

Very much so. Some color choices are also a giveaway. Like the Cessnas in the Howard Johnson's colors or trimmed out in Avocado Green.

 

[Pilawt]

Very much so. Some color choices are also a giveaway. Like the Cessnas in the Howard Johnson's colors or trimmed out in Avocado Green.

I've owned two 1978-model airplanes, both came to me in original factory paint. The color palettes were distinctively 1970s. The Cheetah (avocado and orange) got repainted quickly; the 172 (pecan brown and orange) is still original.



How about this C-177 interior, also from 1978 ...

 

[AggieMike88]

That ad must be for one of those rare Cardinal XL's. Sure, C177's are roomy, but I haven't seen one with that much fore-to-aft space.

 

[ktup-flyer]

I've owned two 1978-model airplanes, both came to me in original factory paint. The color palettes were distinctively 1970s. The Cheetah (avocado and orange) got repainted quickly; the 172 (pecan brown and orange) is still original.

View attachment 53407 View attachment 53408

How about this C-177 interior, also from 1978 ...
View attachment 53409

Looks like a Volkswagen interior

 

[455 Bravo Uniform]

When did the "swooshy" designs start on the high wings and is that still popular? I'm talking most of the less than 20 year old planes you see at places like Van Bortel?

 

[Pilawt]

When did the "swooshy" designs start on the high wings and is that still popular? I'm talking most of the less than 20 year old planes you see at places like Van Bortel?

It basically started when Cessna re-started production of the 172 in 1996. They just paint the airplanes white overall, and put on the trim with vinyl sticky-tape appliques. They change the design every couple of years or so, but to me most of them look like pre-school crayon scribbles. They use painted trim on the 182 and 206 now, but the 172 is still stick-on trim.

 

[Pilawt]

As far as "eras" of paint schemes, Cessna generally had pleasant-enough designs for their products in the 1960s -- except for 1960 itself. At a time when American cars had gaudy chrome grills and over-the-top tailfins, Cessna went nuts with some of their paint designs. Yuk.





Around that same time (1958-62) Piper had a new paint scheme each year, but it was the same scheme for the whole line, from Super Cub to Aztec. 1960 version:

 

[455 Bravo Uniform]

I actually like that top red, black, and white scheme.

I totally agree with your crayon scribbles comment, lol. Looks silly to me, especially for a $100k+ piece of heavy machinery.

 

[James331]

Not so much, the colors maybe, but the style, lots of people keep the original style, infact the tribal swoosh thing you see on many planes looks more like it belongs on a "bros" bicep than a aircraft.

I'd wager 75% of the skywagons and PA18s that get a reshoot keep the same scheme, albeit perhaps in diffrent colors.

 

[Timbeck2]

Seems to me that in the late 60's, Piper must have gotten a good deal on old man brown as that was at least the original color on most of their aircraft.

 

[Tantalum]

To be frank I prefer the angles and gentle swooshes of classic planes. The Mooney marketing still keeps their schemes relatively retro and I think they look sick

The new white with generic swoops here and there just seems too generic and PC. I get sad whenever I see a 1970s 172 painted to look like the brand new ones

 

[Zeldman]

I just think it is silly to put straight line paint jobs on curved airplanes.

I saw one where someone must have used a laser to paint the straight lines.

 

[Tantalum]

I just think it is silly to put straight line paint jobs on curved airplanes.

I never thought about it but you're right, I saw a Diamond 20 with a wierd laser sharp scheme once and it looked bazaar

 

[RyanB]

I actually really dig some of these vintage schemes, this one especially! A simple yet classic look.

 

[Tantalum]

^I agree. My favorite (or one of them) was a red and black 310 I saw in a YouTube video. Incidentally I sat next to Rob flying Delta from San Diego last year and it was great talking planes with him

 

[GRG55]

That one actually spanned four years - but I won't spoil it and say which ones ...

Anybody got a picture of the original 1961 paint scheme when the Cherokee 160 was first introduced?

 

[Tantalum]

Where all metel/silver low wings ever common? There was a guy at SEE a few weeks ago fueling up with a very shiny all silver plane, low wing. I couldn't catch an N number and didn't recognize the type right away. I *think* it could have been a Mooney, but I was preflighting with some non pilot guests so didn't get a chance to ogle at it as much as I would had I been alone

 

[John221us]

It is hard to make a low wing look bad, but that Tiger with the avocado stripe was a good effort.

 

[Pilawt]

Anybody got a picture of the original 1961 paint scheme when the Cherokee 160 was first introduced?

Here's the '61 scheme, which was shared by the entire Piper lineup, from Super Cub through Aztec.



The Cherokee came out in mid-year, so not many were built with this scheme before they switched to the '62 company-wide paint scheme (below). Only Cherokee 150s and 160s had these paint schemes; the 180 was added to the line at the end of 1962 when the "Cherokee B" was introduced. Wheel fairings were not offered until the Cherokee B. N2800W, by the way, was the production prototype Cherokee, s/n 28-03. It was later modified to serve as the prototype for the Cherokee 180 and the Cherokee 235. By the way, notice where they put the second rotating anti-collision beacon on the early Cherokees?

Where all metel/silver low wings ever common?

 

[Pilawt]

^I agree. My favorite (or one of them) was a red and black 310 I saw in a YouTube video. Incidentally I sat next to Rob flying Delta from San Diego last year and it was great talking planes with him

That's a 1962 Aztec B. Note the similarity to the paint scheme of the '62 Cherokee in the post above. That Aztec, by the way, belongs to Hal Shevers, owner of Sportys.

 

[Tantalum]

@Pilawt thanks for the note, I was torn between the two, I thought the tail looked off but the paint scheme made it look sleeker than the Aztecs I've seen. Great looking plane, he must be very proud of it

 

[Tantalum]

That V tail looks great, so striking the shiny silver. Something very classically beautiful and "aviationy" in it. Very Howard Hughes

 

[Pilawt]

OK, nobody guessed the era of the Cherokee paint scheme in post #2.

That was the first paint scheme used on the Cherokee 140. Piper didn't do annual model year changes in the mid 1960s, so this scheme was unchanged from 1964 through 1968:



For a few bucks more you could order it with the optional "Palm Beach" exterior -- two trim colors and some extra pinstriping:

 

[GRG55]

Here's the '61 scheme, which was shared by the entire Piper lineup, from Super Cub through Aztec.

View attachment 53698

The Cherokee came out in mid-year, so not many were built with this scheme before they switched to the '62 company-wide paint scheme (below). Only Cherokee 150s and 160s had these paint schemes; the 180 was added to the line at the end of 1962 when the "Cherokee B" was introduced. Wheel fairings were not offered until the Cherokee B. N2800W, by the way, was the production prototype Cherokee, s/n 28-03. It was later modified to serve as the prototype for the Cherokee 180 and the Cherokee 235. By the way, notice where they put the second rotating anti-collision beacon on the early Cherokees?

View attachment 53697

Thanks for posting those. The first plane I ever owned was a 1961 Cherokee 160, serial number 28-30.
It had been repainted in a horrible 1970s scheme with black and orange trim. I called it the Halloween machine.

I always thought it would be kind of cool to repaint it in the original scheme, but "common sense" prevailed and that money was directed towards replacing it with the first of a series of subsequent Pipers, each of which uses ever more fuel and AMUs to keep in the air than the first one did.

 

[Pilawt]

The first plane I ever owned was a 1961 Cherokee 160, serial number 28-30.

Cool! Just curious ... did your '61 have the rotating beacon under the nose, forward of the nose gear, as in the photo of N2800W above? Did it have a manifold pressure gauge? Some later Tri-Pacers and early Cherokees had them

 

[MickYoumans]

That picture of the Cherokee in the post above is very close to the way mine looked when it was new. Here are the three eras of my airplane. The second owner painted it the blue scheme and I had it painted October 2015 with the burgundy/gold/white scheme.

 

[Fearless Tower]

Where all metel/silver low wings ever common?

Early Bonanzas, Swifts, Spartan Execs, Beech 18s, Ercoupes come to mind.

 

[GRG55]

Cool! Just curious ... did your '61 have the rotating beacon under the nose, forward of the nose gear, as in the photo of N2800W above? Did it have a manifold pressure gauge? Some later Tri-Pacers and early Cherokees had them

It did not have the rotating beacon on the underside. I don't recall a manifold pressure gauge, but it's been some years. It's still in the family, although now resides some distance from where I live. It still carries the registration marks it left the Vero Beach factory with too.

Some day when I am bored with retirement or something I might try to get it back and have it put back to the historical paint scheme. There is a PoA member who has a Cherokee that is still flying with an even earlier serial number.

 

[weilke]

Where all metel/silver low wings ever common? There was a guy at SEE a few weeks ago fueling up with a very shiny all silver plane, low wing. I couldn't catch an N number and didn't recognize the type right away. I *think* it could have been a Mooney, but I was preflighting with some non pilot guests so didn't get a chance to ogle at it as much as I would had I been alone

Maybe not common, but Globe / Temco Swifts are occasionally kept in polished skin.

 

[Pilawt]

Some day when I am bored with retirement or something I might try to get it back and have it put back to the historical paint scheme.

For an even more unique look, this is the way the factory painted the very first Cherokee to fly, N9315R, c/n 28-01 (first flight January 1960). This paint scheme was never used on a production airplane.

 

[Tantalum]

Beech 18s

Always liked those, I can't imagine the maintenance on those powerplants though!

As cool as jets are it's too bad I'm too young to have ever flown on a prop giant like a DC6, Constellation, etc

 

[Tantalum]

The second owner painted it the blue scheme

I like how the blue on the wings gives it a blanik-esq forward sweep look

 

[Tantalum]

BTW, any reason checkerboard schemes were common on some warplane surfaces? Was it just meant to dazzle and confuse the enemy?