This has been an incredibly busy summer. Unfortunately little of it has had to do with helicopter building; trips to Asia, Europe, India and Mexico for work, and buying a house in Virginia have consumed all of my time and energy.

When I have had time to allocate to the helicopter, I wanted to get some of the cabin pieces completed so that over the coming winter things could be mounted permanently.

I started the final painting with the seat pan. The finish selected is satin "Rat Rod Black". This is a flat black with a little bit of texture. The intention is that there be no unwanted reflections on the canopy.

After my priming problems I was a little wary, but the Rat Rod Black went on beautifully. I have found that textured paints are forgiving and relatively easy to apply.

I a quite satisfied with the results on the pan. The pod and panels were painted with the same stuff and they also came out nicely and as expected.




Doesn't that look nice? Very satisfying. The pod was a little more challenging because of the curves and undercuts, but it too came out well. Overall, I am very satisfied with these pieces.