The Berry Brothers paint company in Detroit, Michigan, was the biggest manufacturers of
aircraft paint in the 1930's. The company had a long history of paint
manufacturing and it was natural that they should go into manufacturing
paints (known as dope) designed for airplanes, once aviation's commercial potential was
established. The company's line of aero-paints
were called Berry Loid.
Aircraft dope is a plasticized lacquer that is applied to fabric-coated aircraft to tauten, stiffen, adhere and provide protection to the skin material. While dope itself is clear, pigments are added to provide an opaque appearance and allow for colorful design and motifs so evocative of the golden age era.
For years, up through the late 1940s, Berryloid paints were used by civil and military aviators alike.
*** Click on the images for
full-size versions ***
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This is a Berryloid Pigmented Dope color card, dated 1931. This color compound is painted over the fabric of airplanes to seal, waterproof, and tighten the plane. |
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The company's ads were as colorful as the airplanes on which the paints were used:
In addition to providing high quality paints for
real-world aviation, the company also supported model aviation, as did many
companies at that time. The world of model aviation was seen as an
excellent medium for encouraging young boys and girls to become interested
in careers in aviation. The Berry Brothers company sponsored model airplane
contests, including the National Model Aviation competitions.
Beginning in 1936, the company supplied support and prize money, as well as paint, for numerous
competitions held around the United States.
1932 Color Card
(click image for full-size)
[Courtesy Tim Kalina Collection]
And for the Flightsim Enthusiast
This little tidbit article was inspired by a repaint
of the Golden Age
Simulations flight simulator model
Travel Air
6000A in the Berryloid colors. The file requires the GAS
commercial model to enjoy. The repaint can be found at avsim.com (travelair-macaw.zip)
and flightsim.com (macaw.zip).
