What you guys think? Vinyl covering to replace exterior paint on airplanes

[787FOCAL]

Just looking for some thoughts on the ins and outs and potential problems of covering a commercial aircraft in vinyl coating vs painting it.

Thanks

[stevef]

Several problems come to mind.
How would you repair damage to the covering? Tears on the aerofoils are going to affect the boundary layer. It would also look untidy.
I'd imagine the vinyl coating would start coming adrift around access panels and skin repairs.
Moisure might find its way between the skin and covering, raising a corrosion issue.
Then you have the problem of making the covering adhere around raised rivet heads if you're thinking about smaller aircraft.
There is also the colour scheme to consider.
I can't really see it working.

[eng1170]

Not heard of this one before, and I agree with the points raised above.

On a less serious note the title of the thread conjured up a rather amusing image -

There is also the colour scheme to consider.


Airlines were told to "take a trip down to your local carpet retailer and pic from the samples in the kitchen flooring range"!!! See where I'm going with this.

Eng :E

[Capetonian]

Can vinyl cope with the huge temperature variations, potentially from +45c to -60c?

Can it cope with the expansion/contraction cycle of the fuselage?

I don't know, I'm just throwing in these concerns which come to mind.

[oceancrosser]

Before you go all over board with this guys, hundreds of airplanes have been flying with huge stickers covering the entire fin and rudder, and the airline name and whatever trim they thought up along the fuselage in the form of a vinyl sticker for years. Works fine most of the time. There are far bigger issues out there...

[No_Speed_Restriction]

what about astro-turf?

[javelin]

Used all the time to cover up old markings, or to temporarily change logos.

No problems, sticks well, can be removed later with a warm air gun.

Great way of disguising certain anomalies.........:E

[Jimmy Do Little]

Vinyl coverings have been in use on aircraft for years already.

one example....

Aviation Products & Services (http://www.genesisgraphics.com.au/services-aviation.html)

[ft]

But having it instead of paint, as opposed to on top of paint... I'm thinking corrosion. Vinyl wears, and once there's damage there moisture getting through... and to have moisture trapped under the sticker? Hm.

I've seen what a bit of shoddy work on leading edge boots applied in a probably not quite as dry as could have been hoped for tent hangar will do to the metal of the leading edge a decade down the road. You do not want that to happen to the skin of your aircraft.

[BoeingMEL]

there seem to be plenty of perceived disadvantages.... what benefits would there be? Cheers bm

[Storminnorm]

Vinyl's fine for Co logos and that sort of thing.
But covering the whole aircraft in the stuff?
Apart from the weight consideration, I'd hate
to get the job of peeling it all off.

[Sir George Cayley]

Push the nose down and firewall the throttles

Land with a naked airplane!

Sir George Caley

[Dan Winterland]

One of the benefits is that it comes off very easily and doesn't require polluting paintstrippers to remove it.

[powerstall]

it could peel off... :ok:

[stevef]

One of the benefits is that it comes off very easily and doesn't require polluting paintstrippers to remove it Therein lies the problem. How many edges are exposed to a 600 mph airflow... a hundred or so access panels, cut-outs around doors and cabin windows, gear doors etc. It could be like a snake shedding its skin. :uhoh: Then you've got compound curves to contend with when applying a covering; that's not easy to do without leaving creases. And there are the complications of splicing in coloured cheat lines! If they're of various dimensions and shapes, imagine the stores logistics of stocking repair covering pieces for a Boeing 747 (which expose more edges to the airflow).

[sinkingship]

Hope its skydrolproof!

[FullWings]

...covering a commercial aircraft in vinyl...
Yuk! All brown and sweaty...