Tag: Cherokee

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The Completed Piper Cherokee

Hawk's piper Cherokee's return home the Mack Mesa 10CO

After nearly two months of construction and nearly two months of painting HAWK’s Piper Cherokee has returned to service.

During the construction, the plane was jacked up and the gear removed to replace a wing skin. Also during that time all of the fiberglass was removed and repaired. Thank you to Don Coleman for donating a powerflow exhaust system for HAWK’s Cherokee. A new cowl was made, and the power flow exhaust system installed. These updates allowed the plane to be sent to West Star Aviation for paint.

The Cherokee before its flight to West Star Aviation
The Cherokee before its flight to West Star Aviation.

At West Star Aviation the plane was taken apart and stripped of its paint. During this time a set of micro VG’s courtesy of Annie Brogan with Micro AeroDynamics were installed.

Micro VG's were installed on Hawk's Piper Cherokee. Thank you to Micro VG for donating a full set of micro VG's for HAWK's Piper Cherokee.
Micro VG’s were installed on Hawk’s Piper Cherokee.
Thank you to Micro VG for donating a full set of micro VG’s for HAWK’s Piper Cherokee.

The Cherokee was then primed painted and buffed. West Star Avation donated new screws and hardware to reassemble HAWK’s Piper. This donation is in addition to primer, paint and masking/buffing materials. There are far to many names to mention but HAWK would like to thank each and every person involved in the Cherokee project at West Star Aviation.

Braden with the completed Piper

Sterling Hurst flew the Cherokee back to Mack Mesa just in time for the EAA 800 meeting where everyone admired the brand new 1967 Piper Cherokee.

Herman Allmaras, the Cherokee’s original donor, was given the first official ride in the Cherokee.

Herman and his wife Jean with the Cherokee
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Cherokee Paint Job, The Painting Weeks

HAWK's show stopping Cherokee is nearing completion.
The Cherokee with it's first coat of paint.
The Cherokee with it’s first coat of paint.

Weeks 2 – 5 were filled with priming and painting the aircraft with its new design during week 2 the aircraft was first given a coat of aircraft green primer and then after lunch two coats of Matterhorn White were applied.

 

In the final masking stage, the N numbers were masked and painted blue with a grey shadow.
In the final masking stage, the N numbers were masked and painted blue with a grey shadow.

Throughout week’s 3 and 4 West Star Aviation masked and painted the aircraft with its new blue and grey paint design and a small chrome yellow stripe.

Our Cherokee before and after buffing.
Our Cherokee before and after buffing.

Week 4 was a busy week for week for HAWK members Braden and Jaden, it was during this week that that the Cherokee was buffed and cleaned so that final touch up could be made to the paint.

At the end of week 4 it is clear that HAWK's Cherokee will be a show stopper.
At the end of week 4 it is clear that HAWK’s Cherokee will be a show stopper.

During the next week the Cherokee will be put back together and returned to service.

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Cherokee Paint Job Week 1

Prepping for paint on Piper Cherokee.
HAWK's Cherokee being prepped for paint.
HAWK’s Cherokee being prepped for paint.

Early in the week prep work began on Hawks Piper Cherokee. West Star Aviation stripped the aircraft of its original paint and disassembled it for painting. Later in the week all of the composite pieces for the aircraft were primed and made ready for painting.

West Star Aviation's paint hanger can service aircraft up to a 100 foot wing span.
West Star Aviation’s paint hanger can service aircraft up to a 100 foot wing span.

On Saturday Braden and Jaden went to West Star Aviation and helped them strip what was left painted on the airplane.