American Airlines - Livery and Paint

[Wannabe Flyer]

American Airlines seems to have stuck to their aluminum polished look livery look for ages. Most airlines keep changing their look every decade but AA seems to have stuck to this very long. Looks good too!

I was wondering why other airlines have not copied this look? Does AA have some kind of patent/copyright/trademark on this?

Any feedback and facts on this would be much appreciated.

[Phileas Fogg]

Work out how much the paint on an airliner weighs then, at circa 4% fuel burn for each hour that airliner is in the air throughout it's working life, calculate how much fuel will be bought and burnt just carrying that paint around?

Let's say the paint weighs 200kg and let's say an airliner flies for 6,000 hours a year, that's circa an additional 48,000kg of fuel per year just carrying the paint around!

AA choose not to paint their aircraft, airlines that do paint their aircraft are using more fuel carrying the paint around however, apparently, maintaining a polished fuselage incurs higher maintenance costs although this can be offset because, for each and every sector, the non painted aircraft can carry a higher payload, to the equivalent of the weight of the paint, in the form of revenue paying hold cargo.

[ATNotts]

Do I recall correctly that when AA bought their fleet of A300-600s, Airbus Industrie insisted that they were painted, rather than left in the natural metal finish, or is my memory playing tricks?

[dixi188]

IIRC when AA bought 30 BAC One Elevens in the 60s, the metal for the fuselage skin was a different spec. with a thicker "alclad" coating. Also the machined fuselage skin over the wing was coated with a thin foil.

I don't know wether there was a weight saving over paint.

[Skipness One Echo]

Do I recall correctly that when AA bought their fleet of A300-600s, Airbus Industrie insisted that they were painted, rather than left in the natural metal finish, or is my memory playing tricks?

They were for the most part delivered in grey paint. Only later did American have them polished up in silver, mind you parts of the A300-600 weren't able to be polished metal as they weren't metal but carobn fibre, which I believe was the original issue.

[Wannabe Flyer]

Ok

So that brings me to the point, why are others not doing it?

[Saint Jack]

ATNotts: No, your memory isn't playing tricks. When AA ordered their A300-600s, Airbus Industrie refused to give them a warranty on the skin surface unless it was painted. So, as Skipness One Echo comments, they were painted a light grey (to resemble dull silver?). I believe this point has been dicussed in a previous thread.

[boeing_eng]

So that brings me to the point, why are others not doing it?

Primarily because a non-painted aircraft requires more involved maintenance program of increased skin inspections etc.

In addition, many aircraft are leased these days and the lease companies often make it a condition that on hand-back at end of lease the aircraft is painted all-white (or similar)

[TheHeff]

I have to agree that AA's livery has stood the test of time. Over the years, some other airlines have used raw metal - Eastern Airlines was one, Air Canada had a go with 767s, Aeromexico, and more recently, Japan Cargo. I guess it's half a dozen of one and six of the other.

I may be wrong, but I think that the Airbus fleet introduced the "Gray" fin to the AA livery, rather than all-metal . . . not sure! Virtually all aircraft in the AA fleet have areas of gray skin, depending on the material used in that area.

Interesting to speculate on what American will do with their 787 order - total composite skin - they might go "Raw multi-color-composite", unlikely, or maybe use Virgin's "metallic" effect paint to replicate the silver. Whatever they do, it will be a sad passing of the American "Silver Machine", but a boost to the paint suppliers :-)