AkzoNobel Partners with LandLocked Aviation Services

A basecoat/clearcoat system from AkzoNobel Aerospace Coatings features on a recently retired JStar Boeing 707 from the US Air Force, freshly painted by the LandLocked Aviation Services team at its facility in Lake Charles, Louisiana, as an aircraft on which students at the local SOWELA Technical Community College can train.

“The aircraft was actually one that we had already painted back in 2015, so it was great to see it again,” says Tyson Grenzebach, President at LandLocked Aviation Services. “The aircraft has been repainted to match SOWELA’s colors and Flying Tigers motif, while retaining notable elements from the original paint scheme, including the Air Force emblem and US flag.”

LandLocked Aviation Services supports SOWELA to deliver lifelong learning experiences, including those in aviation maintenance.

Burt Stimson, an account manager and MRO specialist within AkzoNobel says it all happened very fast: “Tyson is an active supporter of AkzoNobel and we were only too pleased to help him in playing a small part in being involved in such a worthy cause.”

LandLocked Aviation Services chooses to work with AkzoNobel as its preferred coatings provider. As an aviation refinishing specialist, and a principal supplier to United Airlines among others, Tyson recognises that failure is simply not an option: “Appearance is 90% perception and perception is everything. We work with AkzoNobel because their products have exceptional quality, delivering a lustre and depth that makes their coatings shine.

“But equally important is their customer service. The experience of working with AkzoNobel, including the engagement of the senior management and the expertise of their Technical Services team, is where they really excel. It’s less like dealing with a major corporate and more like working with a family business. And I don’t say it lightly; if I like a company and I like its products, then there’s a good reason for it.”

LandLocked Aviation Services uses the full stack of AkzoNobel coatings, from primers to topcoats, and is impressed with its continued investment in research and development: “Their products continue to improve steadily over time,” he says. “I always tell people I am a painter by trade, and that means I am very well versed in the products and processes that are out there. And right now, AkzoNobel are nailing it.”