Aircraft in bare metal

[EastEnder]

Just wondering why aircraft are used in service in bare metal?

I would have thought that it made them easier to spot in flight (no camouflage, sunlight reflecting off the surface) and also more expensive to maintain (cleaning, possible corrosion)

Does anyone know?

[Test Graham]

In peacetime, because they look nice and shiny and good for the taxpayers - what else do recruits have to do all day if not polish aircraft? Also, they'll go faster.

In wartime, to save weight (improving performance) and production time. Wartime aircraft don't last long enough to corrode, and are not kept shiny so glint is less of a problem. Plus, they only appeared when we were overwhelmingly winning, so didn't care. ""Come up and fight!"

[TonyT]

Well, when you are flying your B17 painting it any colour is superflous when you have 4 great vapour trails pointing to where you are....... it also saved cost time and weight.

[John B (Sc)]

And if you are American Airlines, you have the 'Great Shiny Fleet', which looks pretty, saves money, saves weight and makes corrosion and damage easier to spot.

Downside is you have to clean them more - which again makes damge easier to spot.

[atdb27]

Umm Good Question/Comment.

In my time on Lightnings never ever polished 1 of em (Thank God)

AOC's Inspections - Queens Jubilees were 'bout the only time they were done plus a bit post a major service at what ever MU they visited.

As mentioned easier to see corrosion in all it's nasty quises. Plus hell of a weight saver.

Dont forget also that any painted a/c that is not ('scuse me) 'touched up' regularly looks awful IMHO through leading edge errosion/chipping etc.

Adrian

[Giorgio N]

The technical reasons have been mentioned already: less drag (although it's not always the case), less weight, easier maintenance, less time required to manufacture, and can look better.

From a concealment point of view sure a plane in bare metal can be seen very easily, but during the "NM era" when plenty of combat aircrafts were left in bare metal this was not considered an issue. During the latter stage of the war allied air superiority was such that camouflage was considered by the USAAF not required. Then when during the early '60s they realised that air superiority wasn't really theirs anymore the idea was that the radar made visual camouflage useless anyway.

Now, that was mainly USAF thought, followed by a number of european air forces. But the RAF only bare metal plane was the lightning, while other air forces rarely abandoned camouflage. The same USAF arrived at some point at the realisation that bare metal planes were not ideal in terms of corrosion, especially when there were based in europe. So after a while they started to paint them in alumium laquer and then grey paint. The vietnam war showed that camouflage was still needed, and after that great efforts have been spent in defining the optimal camouflage.

Something similar happend in the Soviet Union, although many of the planes that look in bare metal were actually coated with a clear laquer.

Of course the US navy always painted its front line planes, although they toyed for a while with clear laquers before adopting the grey/white scheme.

Giorgio