Airplane of your dreams...

[fireflyr]

Oooh, beautiful! But how durable is the unpainted metal for wear, tear and cleaning?

Frank

Shouldn't be any less durable than paint.  Also makes the bird lighter when it's not painted.

They're lighter, and with alclad (pure aluminum layers over the alloy core) a layer of oxidation forms and protects
the metal within. The alloy is more susceptible to corrosion, hence the outer layer. Some folks like theirs polished (and it looks great when done right), and that's a bit more work...
but wow, there are some purty airplanes out there when they're polished up.

I agree that a polished airplane can be nice but how many here have tried polishing one?
The first one I ever tried was an Ercoupe with metalized wings---I forget how much I was paid to do it but IT WAS NOT ENOUGH!!!
When I started, the Ercoupe seemed like a little airplane but by the time I was done I swear that damn thing had grown to proportions of an airliner!
Owning a bare metal airplane and keeping it polished is either an act of love or a sure sign of a manic-depressive disorder.

[Frank N. O.]

Actually corrosion and cleaning (polishing) was what I had in mind. Sort of like owning a De Lorean DMC-12 except the stainless steel isn't quite as susceptible for corrosion.
I'd think weight is only a real factor on larger planes, like a canadian airliner that's reverted back to mostly unpainted planes to save weight and thereby fuel, it did look pretty for the photoshoot, but I wonder how it'll look after a long flight. And what about cleaning costs for metal vs normal protective paint (lacquer?)? And can't some of these paint-types make the surface more slippery to aid the aerodynamics like have been tested with shark-scale designs transferred to boat hulls?

Frank

[chuckar101]

This is coming from a guy with limited knowledge Frank, but I would guess no paint with small airplane would be more faorable.  Line of thinking is that small aircraft have less extra power then most large aircraft.  Thus every little bit of weight adds up quicker.

[spacer]

Oh yah... My plane will take to the sky at first without paint, merely because any changes would mess with the paint job.
Once I've flown off the 50 hours, I'll clean and paint her.
I've had enough of polishing other peoples' stuff. I just wanna fly mine.

[fireflyr]

Oh yah... My plane will take to the sky at first without paint, merely because any changes would mess with the paint job.
Once I've flown off the 50 hours, I'll clean and paint her.
I've had enough of polishing other peoples' stuff. I just wanna fly mine.

If your cobuilder took maternity leave  does that mean we're gonna have to postpone the first flight gratification?

If so, maybe you could put a crib in the hanger

[tundra_flier]

Oooh, beautiful! But how durable is the unpainted metal for wear, tear and cleaning?

Frank

Shouldn't be any less durable than paint.  Also makes the bird lighter when it's not painted.

They're lighter, and with alclad (pure aluminum layers over the alloy core) a layer of oxidation forms and protects
the metal within. The alloy is more susceptible to corrosion, hence the outer layer. Some folks like theirs polished (and it looks great when done right), and that's a bit more work...
but wow, there are some purty airplanes out there when they're polished up.

I agree that a polished airplane can be nice but how many here have tried polishing one?
The first one I ever tried was an Ercoupe with metalized wings---I forget how much I was paid to do it but IT WAS NOT ENOUGH!!!
When I started, the Ercoupe seemed like a little airplane but by the time I was done I swear that damn thing had grown to proportions of an airliner!
Owning a bare metal airplane and keeping it polished is either an act of love or a sure sign of a manic-depressive disorder.

While waiting in line at the fuel pump one day I complimented the guy behind me on his beautifully polished C-180.  Only paint was a stripe down the side.  Really nice.  He laughted and said it didn't normally look that nice, but he had a couple teenagers that were complaining about being bored. 

I know just cleaning and waxing my painted 150 is an all weekend job.  Can't imagine haveing to polish the whole thing.

Phil

[fireflyr]

Oooh, beautiful! But how durable is the unpainted metal for wear, tear and cleaning?

Frank

Shouldn't be any less durable than paint.  Also makes the bird lighter when it's not painted.

They're lighter, and with alclad (pure aluminum layers over the alloy core) a layer of oxidation forms and protects
the metal within. The alloy is more susceptible to corrosion, hence the outer layer. Some folks like theirs polished (and it looks great when done right), and that's a bit more work...
but wow, there are some purty airplanes out there when they're polished up.

I agree that a polished airplane can be nice but how many here have tried polishing one?
The first one I ever tried was an Ercoupe with metalized wings---I forget how much I was paid to do it but IT WAS NOT ENOUGH!!!
When I started, the Ercoupe seemed like a little airplane but by the time I was done I swear that damn thing had grown to proportions of an airliner!
Owning a bare metal airplane and keeping it polished is either an act of love or a sure sign of a manic-depressive disorder.

While waiting in line at the fuel pump one day I complimented the guy behind me on his beautifully polished C-180.  Only paint was a stripe down the side.  Really nice.  He laughted and said it didn't normally look that nice, but he had a couple teenagers that were complaining about being bored. 

I know just cleaning and waxing my painted 150 is an all weekend job.  Can't imagine haveing to polish the whole thing.

Phil

See there, THAT's why we are trying to get you and Happy together!   You meet, fall in love, win the lottery, have rich kids who are bored, THEN you have them polish your 150!!

[Gulfstream Driver]

Oooh, beautiful! But how durable is the unpainted metal for wear, tear and cleaning?

Frank

Shouldn't be any less durable than paint.  Also makes the bird lighter when it's not painted.

They're lighter, and with alclad (pure aluminum layers over the alloy core) a layer of oxidation forms and protects
the metal within. The alloy is more susceptible to corrosion, hence the outer layer. Some folks like theirs polished (and it looks great when done right), and that's a bit more work...
but wow, there are some purty airplanes out there when they're polished up.

I agree that a polished airplane can be nice but how many here have tried polishing one?
The first one I ever tried was an Ercoupe with metalized wings---I forget how much I was paid to do it but IT WAS NOT ENOUGH!!!
When I started, the Ercoupe seemed like a little airplane but by the time I was done I swear that damn thing had grown to proportions of an airliner!
Owning a bare metal airplane and keeping it polished is either an act of love or a sure sign of a manic-depressive disorder.

While waiting in line at the fuel pump one day I complimented the guy behind me on his beautifully polished C-180. Only paint was a stripe down the side. Really nice. He laughted and said it didn't normally look that nice, but he had a couple teenagers that were complaining about being bored.

I know just cleaning and waxing my painted 150 is an all weekend job. Can't imagine haveing to polish the whole thing.

Phil

Isn't that why you have children?  To polish your airplane...

[spacer]

Oh yah... My plane will take to the sky at first without paint, merely because any changes would mess with the paint job.
Once I've flown off the 50 hours, I'll clean and paint her.
I've had enough of polishing other peoples' stuff. I just wanna fly mine.

If your cobuilder took maternity leave  does that mean we're gonna have to postpone the first flight gratification?

If so, maybe you could put a crib in the hanger

Oh, that'll be a while anyway, unless something changes with work.
Hey... a riveted aluminum crib... with control surfaces...

[TheSoccerMom]

Helped a friend/student polish his gorgeous but a bit neglected C-172.  We both thought "this won't take long".  HAR.

After the first exhausting afternoon, he was headed to Sears to buy a big, soft buffer.  We did the whole airplane both by hand and with the buffer, and it was STUNNING when it was done.  It, too, had the one, classic stripe down the side, with a split stripe up the vertical fin. 

It's still one of the prettiest airplanes I ever met.  I wish I had a photo!  He got compliments every single place he went.  (On the airplane, I mean).      

[tundra_flier]

Is it OK if I just wish for summer so I can fly the plane I've got?   

Phil

[fireflyr]

Is it OK if I just wish for summer so I can fly the plane I've got?   

Phil

HMMM, down here, we fly year round

[Mike]

Hands down

the F4-U4 Corsair ! ! !


un-negotiable . . .

[Frank N. O.]

Mike: Really!? I thought you would say AS-350 B3 or Airwolf or something of a similar type, you know a un-stuck-wing 

Frank

[Mike]

well.... the thread says "airplane" of your dreams . . .

The FAA clearly differenciates between "airplane"and "aircraft" so I have to ablidge

when it comes to working with an aircraft day in and day out, it will be the AStar, no doubt
(even though "Jane" broke down on me yesterday in the middle of a job  ,  but I'll forgive her...)