While the canvas on the fuselage of Aero C 104.237 was preserved (albeit at the cost of more than 60 hours of work), all other surfaces had to be repainted. After removing the old canvas, we had the opportunity to inspect all the woodwork and glued joints. The layers of old paint were then sanded off and new paint applied. Then it was possible to coat the wings, ailerons, elevator, and rudder with new canvas. This was followed by three layers of base paint applied by brush and one sprayed. We would like to thank Aeroengine and Česká aviatická for their help. The next step would be a trip to the paint shop.

After we managed to completely disassemble our Aero, we cleaned all its parts and components. For some of the parts we had to use some good old fashioned sanding in addition to chemicals, especially the red paint didn’t want to say goodbye. All parts were also checked for any cracks. The next step will be spraying with primer and fine sanding in preparation for the final paint job.

During the communist regime, only two historic aircraft flew in Czechoslovakia – the Aero C 104 and the Piper L 4. The Piper L 4, thanks to a dilettante decision by its owner, last flew in 2009. The Aero C 104 was more fortunate and flew until last year, when the current operator returned it to its owner, the Military History Institute Prague.

Following several negotiations and a subsequent loan agreement, we took possession of the Aero C 104, originally manufactured in 1947 for the Czechoslovak military air force. After measuring the existing geometry of the aircraft, we started to dismantle the wings and all the cover plates.