One of the NASCAR circuits leading drivers, Greg Biffle, recently had his Dassault Falcon 50 refurbished and repainted using some of the latest systems available from Sherwin-Williams Aerospace Coatings. The Falcon 50 is one of several aircraft in the ‘Air Biffle’ livery, based at the Statesville, NC airport, which also includes a Cessna 210 and a Bell 206 L3 helicopter.
In addition to flying around the race track at 200 mph, Biffle also puts in his time in the sky. He has a private pilot license for both single engine fixed wing and rotor wing aircraft, and annually flies about 175 hours on the Falcon 50, 75 hours on the Cessna and 100 hours on his helicopter. He is joined on his aviation team by one mechanic, two full time pilots and two contract pilots.
The recently completed overhaul and exterior repaint of the Falcon 50 was done by Capital Aviation, located in Oklahoma City. According to Scot Webber, Capital Aviation Executive Vice President, “We used a complete Sherwin-Williams aerospace coating system, which included a chrome hazard free primer, high solids epoxy surfacer, Fill Bond filler, and several topcoat colors: Jet Glo conventional Matterhorn, AcryGlo acrylic urethane conventional gray, and its metallic colors Seminole red, black velvet, and Windfield bronze. It was all finished with the new SKYscapes clearcoat.
“Using SKYscapes® clearcoat was the first time we’ve switched from traditional high VOC to a low VOC clearcoat product,” he continues. “One of the things we discovered about the new clearcoat was that it was easier to use, and it also provided better durability.”
Greg Biffle also seemed pleased with the results. “I’ve found that the new paint job on my aircraft not only enhances its aesthetics, but protects its surface from wear and corrosion,” says Biffle. “Sherwin-Williams Aerospace Coatings provide all my aircraft with a quality appearance and a durable finish that keeps them looking great for a long time. These are the same reasons we only use Sherwin-Williams in the sky as well as on the racetrack.”
Biffle is part of NASCAR’s championship Roush Fenway Racing team. His famous #16, 3M-sponsored Ford Fusion is one of three cars the team runs in the Sprint Cup championship series. Roush Fenway, 3M and Sherwin-Williams have had a longtime working arrangement, as all of the team’s vehicles are painted with Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes latest AWX Performance Plus™ waterborne basecoat-clearcoat technology.
The Falcon 50’s new, multi-color paint job was created by Scheme Designers of Cresskill, N.J. Craig Barnett, its CEO, describes how their strategy was to create a look that was unique, beautiful and closely related to the entire family of aircraft. “In Greg Biffle’s design, we took personalization to a new level by basing the design on the tail on Greg’s initials. The approach, however, was to make the initials subtle enough so that many people looking at the tail would just see interesting design elements, as opposed to a big “GB” on the tail.”
Barnett adds, “This approach takes a step further on the right side of the tail, where the elements used to create Greg’s initials are mirrored – in essence – backwards. In this way, the tail design has significant meaning to Greg Biffle, yet retains a degree of anonymity for him as he travels.”
For more information on Sherwin-Williams Aerospace Coatings, call 1-888-888-5593 or visit its new website at www.swaerospace.com.