It will vary from country to country. Generally the repaint will need some form of certification.
Often you will see that the owner can do so much area. Naturally all maintenance should be assessed to see if it requires a release to service anyway. Pilots can obviously sign the release iaw the applicable procedures.
The very real trap now of course is that with monocoque construction the aircraft skin is structural. Ageing aircraft requirements may have to be taken into consideration if any stripping is involved.
Generally there will be extensive inspection, corrosion removal and other repair work involved. (At least with the average GA machine).
The other issue that we now have is that the current generation of paints may not necessarily form an effective paint system. The biggest issue there would be the removal of Chromates that the 2024-T3 alloy often relies on for corrosion resistance.
I have seen two botched jobs in recent years where all the paint had to be removed again. The automotive painter had not realised that the aircraft alloys required a chromate pre-treatment or a PreKote treatment combined with chromated primer.
It would probably be best to work in with the guy who will be doing the certification and reweigh. It is always better to do that earlier than to discover that the job has been botched.
The LAME may not be impressed to have a freshly repainted aircraft just rock up to the doors either. He may have some pretty tough questions.
If it is a Cessna then you would really want to be looking at the SID's requirements at the same time.
I see you are talking Certified machine so you will have to tread reasonably carefully. I gather you seem to be considering a scuff and respray, just some precautions regarding static system, aerials and transparencies to be considered in that case. Exterior markings would be expected to comply also.
With the modern peroxide strippers I would not even consider painting over old paint now.
I have stripped two aircraft recently and about to do two more. All have corrosion that was unseen under the old paint.
Don't seek advice from the homebuilder fraternity either. I have looked at numerous websites in recent months and many of their paint systems were flawed. They may get away with it for a while as they generally used new alcad and the surface of course is still intact.
Aircraft paints are going through a massive change at the moment, we are getting all PC and phasing chromates out. You really need to do your homework these days.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXzNqVivsDM
Last edited by baron_beeza; 8th Jun 2012 at 08:55.