PPG Industries’ (NYSE:PPG) aerospace coatings group donated primer and
topcoats for repainting a reconstructed Grumman HU-16 Albatross
search-and-rescue amphibian aircraft for the Air Rescue Museum that will
appear at airshows as a “flying museum.”
'FLYING MUSEUM' - PPG Industries (NYSE:PPG) donated coatings that were used by Northrop Grumman to help the Air Rescue Museum recreate a 1957 U.S. Air Force Air Rescue Service paint scheme for this reconstructed Grumman Albatross search-and-rescue amphibian airplane. (Photo by Alan Radecki of Northrop Grumman)
The PPG Aerospace military coatings group worked with the Dallas and Los
Angeles application support centers and the Mojave, Calif.,
manufacturing facility to provide coatings for the project.
DESOPRIME(TM) HS/CA 7233 military primer and DESOTHANE(R) HS/CA 8200
series military and defense topcoats helped recreate a 1957 U.S. Air
Force Air Rescue Service paint scheme, and Desothane HS/CA 8800
clear topcoat provided a final high-gloss protective finish.
“We were excited to participate in this restoration and pleased to offer
high-quality, easy-to-use, military-qualified coatings,” said Duane
Utter, PPG global segment manager, military aerospace coatings and
classified products. “Working with our customer Northrop Grumman, whose
employees painted the airplane, offered a great partnership opportunity.
Teamwork by all involved was seamless, and coordination was incredible,
especially when they ran short of paint and we manufactured and shipped
more within 24 hours to complete the job.”
Bringing the Albatross up to flying condition was the dream of Dr.
Robert Ryan, a retired U.S. Army colonel and pilot who owns the aircraft
and is director of flight operations and maintenance for the Air Rescue
Museum. As an Air Rescue Service pilot, his father flew Albatross
airplanes, designed in the 1940s by Grumman Aircraft Engineering Co.,
predecessor to Northrop Grumman. The younger Ryan befriended now-retired
U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. John Stipetich while both were commercial
pilots. Sharing their “burning love for aviation,” Stipetich conceived
the idea of the Air Rescue Museum and is its president.