Rio Creek Airport

We knew from the beginning that the coupe was going to need a new paint job.  We were trying to decide on a color or scheme.  While looking on the internet, we came across Dave Abrams website.  He had a brochure from 1949 that talked about the 415-G "Club-Air" model.  There was a plastic card on the dash that said "Club-Air" in our coupe.  Until, we saw that ad, we never knew what it meant.  The Club-Air was the deluxe version in 1949 and had extra features including what some have called "the infamous" kiddie seat.  A child that weighed less than 75 lbs. could sit on the battery box in the baggage area.  It was advertised as the way for the family to fly together.

An interesting way to get an airplane home from the paint shop.

While looking at the same brochure, we realized that, for the most part, the coupe still had its original paintjob and interior from 1949.  The only real difference was the big N-number on the fuselage that was required by the FAA for a while.  This settled any thoughts on a paint scheme and color.  We decided to keep it original, just as in the brochure.

Dave, from Rio Creek Auto Body, helps apply the vinyl decals, just as they looked coming out of the factory in 1949.

We ended up re-doing everything.  What was going to be a simple paintjob now included vinyl decals, repainting the instrument panel and a whole new interior as close to original as possible.  And yes, we still had the cushions for the kiddie seat and they were included in the interior refurbishment.

Don helps our decal guy with the finishing touches.