we are AV8 Paintworks
At AV8 Paintworks by Chris Calovini, we strive to take the already amazing presence of your aircraft and treat it as the artistic canvas it was meant to be. Visit us at the Midwest's premier custom aircraft paint shop and let us show you just how beautiful your dreams can be!
Meet chris calovini
Passion turning dreams into reality!
Chris has been an artist all of his life. At age 10, he started building stick model balsa airplanes. At age 12, he received his first airbrush and started painting. In high school, Chris studied commercial arts in the vocational technical program. By age 16, he started Apex Guitars and was building and finishing high quality custom electric guitars. At this point, he really started to excel at laying down paint.
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Post high school, Chris enlisted in the Army and became Combat Medic in the 101st Airborne Division. When art work was needed in the Army, Chris was the ‘go-to’ person. Upon honorable discharge from the Army, Chris attended The Columbus College of Art and Design as a student of the Industrial Design Program. During college, Chris' painted aircraft for Farrington Aviation in the Air and Space 18A program.
After college Chris’s passion for adventure and art took fruition. He had a career as a professional SCUBA diver and instructor, owned a construction company, was involved in skydiving, became the Director of Business Development and design consultant for Cycle Cat, a performance motorcycle parts manufacturer that specialized in Ducati Motorcycles. Eventually, Chris bought Cycle Cat.
Throughout all of his careers and companies Chris was always a painter. Weather it was motorcycles, guitars, helmets or cars he was always painting. In 2015 it was decided that the motorcycle business was not a growing industry and Chris decided to move on. One door closes and another opens. Fate intervened and a Rutan Varieze came into Chris's life. It hasn't been the same since.
With a renewed passion for aviation and a new group of aviator friends, it was inevitable. These things always start the same way. After visiting EAA, a friend saw his work and asked "Hey man! Can you paint my project?"
In that moment, AV8 Paintworks was born!
After college Chris’s passion for adventure and art took fruition. He had a career as a professional SCUBA diver and instructor, owned a construction company, was involved in skydiving, became the Director of Business Development and design consultant for Cycle Cat, a performance motorcycle parts manufacturer that specialized in Ducati Motorcycles. Eventually, Chris bought Cycle Cat.
Throughout all of his careers and companies Chris was always a painter. Weather it was motorcycles, guitars, helmets or cars he was always painting. In 2015 it was decided that the motorcycle business was not a growing industry and Chris decided to move on. One door closes and another opens. Fate intervened and a Rutan Varieze came into Chris's life. It hasn't been the same since.
With a renewed passion for aviation and a new group of aviator friends, it was inevitable. These things always start the same way. After visiting EAA, a friend saw his work and asked "Hey man! Can you paint my project?"
In that moment, AV8 Paintworks was born!
First Let'sDream Big!
Airplanes are beautiful in all their forms, that goes without saying. However we all have that unique taste that draws our eye. At AV8 we want you to dream big when you think of paint for your airplane. Share with us what catches your eye and we'll work with you to create the aircraft paintjob you've always wanted. After all we're here to help you take the airplane you love and apply a paint scheme that will turn it into the real life flying art it was born to be.
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Now let's make it happen!
The Transformation!
To ensure that the outcome of your experience is the stuff of those dreams we just talked about, our Av8 Team will painstakingly prep your beloved aircraft for paint, going over the most minute of details to ensure we miss nothing. When we can be sure that your aircraft is ready to get its new paint scheme, AV8 will apply only the highest quality aircraft specific paint coatings. This is where the magic happens!
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Your time to shine
Star of the Show!
This is where the fun comes in. You get to take home your beloved aircraft complete with its paint scheme and show it off to friends and family(and of course strangers, sometimes the best part). At AV8 we strive to make sure that when you show up at fly-ins, for that $100 burger or even just return to your home field, that your airplanes paint job makes it the star of the show!
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Have a Project?
Let's work together