John Mosley was just a teenager when he learned to paint cars at his dad’s autobody repair shop in Clinton, MS. As his love of painting and passion for quality finish work grew, so too did his interest in coatings and sealants. Unable to find a product that met all of his high standards, he developed his own and founded John’s 360° Coatings. He mainly applies his two-part formulations to planes, working out of a newly built hangar in Bolton, MS. The 100’ x 150’ hangar is outfitted with a 115’-wide hydraulic hangar door from Schweiss Doors.

Focusing on the aviation sector might seem odd given Mosley’s background in autobody repair, but it’s reflective of another of his primary interests: airplanes. He earned his pilot’s license in 1992 and has since acquired multi-engine and instrument ratings too. One of his prized aircraft is a Grumman TBF Avenger, an American bomber developed initially for the United States Navy and Marine Corps. It’s similar to the Avenger President George H.W. Bush was shot down in over the Pacific Ocean during World War II.

“The reason I even entered that field is because we wanted a coating we could put on our round engine airplanes that would stand up to the engine oil, smoke and all that with the cleaners we had had to use constantly,” Mosley says. “Anytime we used degreasers, it would take the wax off. We wanted a coating we could put on our airplanes, coat them one time, clean them as often as we needed, knowing that they would still be protected. You couldn’t do that with conventional waxes or sealants, so I started experimenting with a ceramic field which worked better than wax, but it didn’t hold up for a long time. Then I started researching polymer science.”

The coating he eventually developed, with the help of chemists, was a two-part product based on nanotechnology. It is hydrophobic and oil phobic, which means water and oil have a hard time sticking to it, and is durable enough to stand up to even the harshest cleaners.

The John’s 360° hangar is located at the John Bell Williams Airport. Its interior includes offices, a pilot lounge and a briefing room, in addition to the large bay hangar space where planes are painted and coated. The Schweiss door is a double-truss model—115-foot wide, 23-foot tall. one-piece hydraulic door. The specially engineered all-steel door, which weighs 37,472 pounds, is equipped with a centrally located walk-through door, two exterior trusses for added strength and is insulated and painted a bright white inside with red trim detailing on the lower exterior truss and interior trim of the hydraulic door.

Mosley decision to go with Schweiss came after his own due diligence.

“I’ve been to so many different airports and to Oshkosh for every year but one since 1992,” he says. “I actually own three hangars. When we got ready to build this hangar, I looked at everybody’s doors again. I have several friends that have hydraulic doors and I like the operation and looks of them better than bifold doors. I just kind of settled down on Schweiss because I like the look of the door and when I called and talked to Brent at Schweiss, I was satisfied with everything he told me. I like the size of the door because I can move the airplanes in and out without having to move a lot of stuff. I like the quietness and smoothness and looks of it.”

ACI Building Systems of Batesville, MS, supplied the metal and beams for the hangar, built by Davis Constructors of Florence, MS. Davis handled the installation of the door.

“The install went great,” Mosley says. “The contractor had never put up a big door like this before. He said he appreciated that whenever he called, the guys at Schweiss were very good to work with.”

The red curtained-off area within the hangar is where aircraft are painted. The size of the hangar facilitates painting up to three at once. Two large 60-foot by 60-foot areas allow painting of airplanes side-by-side within the curtained-off individual rooms. The third 20-foot by 50-foot area is used to spray control parts such as ailerons, elevators, cowlings and rudders. All the 360° Coatings are done in a sanitized clear area out front.

The popularity of Mosley’s various products has seen his company grow from just a couple people to more than three dozen at two locations. Even with the staff and capabilities, customers wait as long as four months to get their planes treated. More information about his products can be found at www.johns360coatings.com.