And We Get A Peek At New Paint Scheme

By the time you read this, the grand prize in AOPA's Win A Twin sweepstakes, a better-than-new 1965 Piper Twin Comanche, should have changed from primer gray to Matterhorn White and Bahama Blue.

After carefully bead-blasting away the old earth-tone paint job, the artists at KD Aviation spent this past weekend applying the base white coat of what will eventually be a custom, updated interpretation of the traditional Piper paint schemes.

The painting will be slow and meticulous, especially when it comes to the accent stripes, which use DuPont ChromaLusion paint, which shifts colors depending on how the light strikes it. It'll take five separate coats for the stripes alone, but KD Aviation, which is doing the painting, says the plane will be ready by April 5, leaving just enough time to get to Lakeland.

After Sun 'n Fun, the Win A Twin Comanche heads to the avionics shop to bring the panel into the twenty-first century. Plans include a full Garmin avionics stack, including the CNX-80, the first certified WAAS-enabled GPS unit; an S-Tec three-axis autopilot; a Honeywell/Bendix-King KI-825 EHSI; and a J.P. Instruments engine analyzer/fuel totalizer. That work should be done in time for the Sweepstakes Twin Comanche's appearance at the 14th annual AOPA Fly-In and Open House on Saturday, June 5, in Frederick (MD).

After that, Airtex Interiors will make sure the grand prize winner flies in comfort and style.

FMI: Win A Twin Rules http://www.aopa.org/sweeps/rules.html