A bit geeky I know, but I've always wondered.
We often see fast jets painted in amazing colour schemes for anniversaries, airshows.
I'm thinking of Tigermeet etc.
Given that your average pointy military jet is these days covered with all manner of radar avoiding, low observable paint and coatings - how do they do that?
I'm sure it's a little more sophisticated than the crew chief and the lads sitting down with an outline drawing of the jet, coming up with a design and then heading off down to B&Q to grab a few cans of spray-paint (although I note that some Vietnam-era BUFFs and even a few Op Corporate Harriers were literally hand painted with brushes at times for operational reasons).
Does someone on the Squadron designate a particular jet that is to be resprayed for such display purposes?
Is there a special type of paint that goes on over generic "RAM Fast-Jet Grey" and able to be washed off a few weeks later (cos I'm sure they don't strip em back to bare aluminium and composite).
What happens if you balls it up?
Crew Chief - "Jenkins - that is the most ****e Tiger stripe I have ever seen in my life you horrible little man..."