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A Sample Feature From Aviation News Painting perfection
Assistant Editor Dino Carrara recently visited aircraft painters Sprayavia International to see how the colourful liveries on airliners are created.
Above: Some airlines require elaborate designs on their aircraft, such as this paint scheme applied by Sprayavia to a Dragonair Airbus A320. (Photo, JC Holliday). Airlines will expend a great deal of time and resources to get a colour scheme on their aircraft which reflects the image it wants to project to the world. While artists will often come up with elaborate designs, it is companies like Sprayavia International that have to make that vision come to life on an airframe. The company is based at Norwich International Airport in Norfolk, but its work can be seen globally as it has painted aircraft for some of the world’s biggest airlines, including British Airways, Lufthansa and Swiss. Despite these uncertain times in aviation the company is busier than ever, largely due to the expansion of the low-cost carriers and the rebrandings of charter airlines. As a result, it was an opportune time for it to double its capacity at its Norwich headquarters by acquiring a second hangar which accepted its first visitor, a MyTravel Airways Boeing 757, in December last year. The new facility cost £1m to refurbish and equip as a painting bay which, like the others in use, is temperature and humidity controlled and can be used to accommodate aircraft up to the size of a 757-300. New lighting and heating was installed, an air extraction system fitted and the required flame-proofing added. A tail dock system was also built which enables the fin to be worked on while protected from the elements. The other hangar at Norwich can accept aircraft up to 757-200 size.
Above: A member of the graphics department works on artwork for a Virgin Express aircraft. (Photo, Sprayavia International). For larger aircraft Sprayavia rents space from a third-party maintenance company, Aircraft Services Lemwerder (ASL) in Bremen, Germany, which can handle Boeing 747s. This relationship also operates in reverse with Sprayavia contracted to undertake work on behalf of ASL should any of the German company’s customers have an aircraft painted while it is in for maintenance. Sprayavia also performs this task for BMI’s fleet at East Midlands Airport where the airline owns a paint bay, which can take aircraft of Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 size. As with ASL, it will perform this service for any customers of BMI and will also utilise this hangar for their customers, should its own facilities be fully occupied. At Norwich last year Sprayavia painted 45 aircraft and including the other locations the total rises to over 100. With the amount of work available at present and the new facility at Norwich now open, it expects to exceed 150 this year. Generally, the company’s busy period stretches from the end of September to March, largely due to this being the off-season for the charter carriers when their aircraft are not so busy. Virtually all the company’s customers are airlines, though recently a new five-year contract was signed with BAE Systems to paint eight Nimrods annually. It has been involved with this RAF aircraft for the last four years. The only other military work they have undertaken was the repainting of four RAF Lockheed Tristars six years ago, though the company would like to gain more contracts in this area. Until recently, another link with BAE Systems was the repainting of Airbus A300s that had undergone maintenance and freighter conversion at Bristol Filton. This was an eight-year association which came to an end in 2002 when BAE Systems discontinued this work. The only other exception to the steady flow of airliners is the occasional contract for Sterling Helicopters, which is also based at Norwich, but this is only undertaken if Sprayavia has spare capacity. As for light aircraft, they could also be accepted if there was a gap in the schedule, however this is a specialist market catered for elsewhere which the company is not pursuing. On the other hand airliners converted into executive jets is one area it would like to expand into.
Above: An ATR42, OY-RUM, at Norwich in the process of having paint removed in preparation for painting.
Painting process When an aircraft arrives for a repaint, the airline will have already decided whether it is to be sanded down to the first top-coat or chemically stripped back to the metal. The latter is the more expensive option but has a number of benefits. Firstly, it allows the aircraft skin to be inspected for corrosion and secondly will help reduce the weight of the aircraft by removing the old paint. If an aircraft has been stripped, the next process is a steam clean to remove any residue of the stripper. All the production joints on the aircraft will then be resealed, followed by a wash with solvents as a final preparation. The next stage of the process is to apply either a Filliform Corrosion Resistant primer or alochrome pre-treatment, which is the first layer of protection for the airframe. Next is the intermediate primer of either polyurethane or epoxy, the latter is a yellowy green colour, which will normally be allowed to dry overnight. After this the aircraft will be rubbed down to remove any imperfections and a tack cloth used to pick up any remnants. After this extensive preparation the airframe is finally ready for some new paint which will form the livery. The base colour top-coat is the first to be applied and once this is dry, the livery will be marked out on the aircraft. These areas will then be masked off and the colour scheme painted on. The amount of coats required will depend on the opacity of the base colour. For example, a pure white would need a total of three layers, while off-white or grey would only require two. A gap of one hour is required before the next coat can be applied, though the finished aircraft will need at least 24hr to dry. The whole process generally takes about a week and if it is a complicated design, extra manpower can be drafted in to hasten the preparation process. The one area which cannot be shortened is the paint drying time. Once an aircraft has been completed, a representative from the customer will check the paint work is to their satisfaction before taking delivery. Sprayavia does not design liveries, rather it reproduces from the artwork the airline provides. They will specify the effect they would like and the graphics department at Norwich will work out how to achieve this. For example, European Aviation Air Charter stated that on their 747s they wanted the colours to fade gradually in an angled striped design (see photo on page 372). The graphics team subsequently produced a dot pattern which was applied to a vinyl stencil and stuck to the airframe then sprayed over to give the desired look. With environmental issues in mind Sprayavia is an advocate of using high-solid paints, as opposed to the conventional solvent-based products as the former produce less VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) emissions. They also recycle all waste paint to remove and then re-use the solvents. Commenting on the latest generation of paints to Aviation News, Managing Director, Bob Stephens, said ‘The new generation paints have come a long way over the last few years, and as long as the airlines maintain the paint work and clean it on a regular basis, the airline can expect up to two years of extension to the current life of an aircraft’s paint finish, due to the increased durability of these products.’ He also pointed out the tough conditions that the paints have to withstand, ranging from ‘...baking temperatures one minute and freezing cold at 38,000ft the next [and] experiencing high levels of ultraviolet attack. The paint also has to be very chemical resistant and flexible to withstand the damage caused by the aircraft flexing, hydraulic fluid, engine oil and de-icing fluid.’ Despite all these factors a freshly painted livery will be able to last on average between six to eight years, though a large number of factors, such as the climate the aircraft is operating in, can affect this. The company can also produce and affix decals. These are made of vinyl and then laminated, though they are not suitable for a long periods but can be useful for altering markings for a short term lease or putting on a temporary registration. They are also used for technical and mandatory markings such as emergency signs. Other services include painting the interiors of aircraft and to maximise the down-time, a fuel tank repair and inspection service, performed by FRAviation Services, is available before the painting commences.
Above: A photo of a member of staff masking off part of the tail of a British Airways aircraft a number of years ago when the airline adopted the World Image designs. BA has subsequently reverted to one standard scheme for its whole fleet. (Photo, Sprayavia International). For the rest of this article please see the May 2003 issue. |
