[Series] How the US-2 is made (10)
Close coverage by a professional writer
The yellow primer-painted aircraft will finally be painted in dark blue!
After the assembly of the fuselage was completed, the surface of the US-2, such as bulges and fairings, was installed. This color makes it difficult to see from the air when flying at low altitude or landing on the water.
At the Konan Factory, there is a painting booth that fits the entire aircraft, adjacent to the area where the aircraft is assembled. When US-2 enters here, scaffolding is assembled to make it easier to work, and the screen is lowered to prevent dust from entering from the outside.
Areas that should not be exposed to paint are completely masked, and workers also wear protective clothing and dust/gas masks to protect themselves from the paint, ensuring that no skin is exposed. Although environmental can be very harsh in the summer, multiple workers work together to apply the paint to ensure that the paint is even. The entire aircraft is covered in offshore camouflage, and after the paint dries, the letters and Japanese flag that will be on the aircraft are painted over.
When the yellow primer turns dark blue and comes out of the paint booth, it instantly looks like a US-2.
*Outfitting: The process of installing the engine and equipment inside and outside the aircraft, or the equipment itself.
(1) Panoramic view of the gigantic paint booth where the entire US-2 can fit.
(2) When the US-2 enters the painting booth, scaffolding is set up and a screen is lowered around it, masking the areas not to be painted.
(3) Paint the camouflage color with a spray. Several workers work together to ensure that the paint hose does not touch the painted surface.
(4) In order to make the thickness of the coating uniform, move your arms in a constant rhythm like a machine and work while backing down.
(5) "Hinomaru" on the upper surface of the main wing. I painted a red circle, masked the part, and painted the white border.
(6) Peel off the masking tape on the part where the letters of the aircraft color are overpainted. The paint dries, so you don't even need a stuffy mask.
(7) Finished painting the warning sign indicating the position of the propeller on the side of the fuselage, and peeled off the stencil sheet (pattern with letters and patterns cut out).
(8) The painted US-2 was pulled out of the painting booth.
Writer Hidenori Itakura
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