146 Painting
 

Whilst in AMS today I spotted a UK registered 146 with an unusual paint scheme.
I flew the 146 for four years and all our aircraft had bare metal ailerons and elevators (I assume it's something to do with balancing)as has every other 146/RJ that I've seen (Cityflyer, Lufthansa, Sabena JEA etc).
The aircraft I saw today had the ailerons and elevators painted white. Would anyone with access to the 146 AMM care to comment if painting these controls is allowed, or has someone been over zealous with the spray gun. I noticed that the leading edge of the fin had also been painted.

F40

All the 146s I flew in Australia had painted aileron and elevator surfaces. Painting the surfaces is fine, but they must then be mass balanced by an engineer. Leaving them bare is probably cheaper, as you don't have to worry about recertifying them if you do a paint touch-up, although you do introduce corrosion issues.

[This message has been edited by Checkboard (edited 24 May 2001).]