Liveries are one of the variants of uniforms, distinguished by their cut, color schemes and accessories. Some elements corresponded to the heraldry of the house served by the bearers. But this word means not only clothes for people.
Aviation dress code
Aircraft liveries are the coloring of an aircraft's fuselage in accordance with a specific color scheme. It is applied in order to show the belonging of a skyship to a particular airline. On vehicles that are combat, they choose a coating that can disguise and hide them visually from the enemy.
How airplanes are painted
Airplanes are huge vehicles, expensive and very complex. More than once in their aviation life they change the host company. At the same time, you also have to change the uniform of the sky bird, which is not very easy.
Painting is carried out in special hangars. As a rule, Russian aircraft receive new liveries at aircraft repair plants, only such enterprises in the country have everything they need. The procedure takes place in several stages, it can take from severaldays to weeks. Most often, maintenance and repair work is carried out simultaneously.
Steps of changing the livery
The plane rolls into the hangar. First of all, all openings and parts of the fuselage are closed, where liquids should not get. Next, the old coating is removed with a special composition. This is such an aggressive mass that in a few hours it will be corroded and begin to flake off. The final flush is carried out with hot water under high pressure. Some places are cleaned mechanically.
The aircraft rolls into the paint rooms. In order to carry out the procedure qualitatively, it is necessary to comply with certain indicators of temperature, humidity. The surface before painting is prepared by priming in several layers and polished. The first color is applied in several layers, which will be the base. Allows time between applications to dry and set.
Each airline has its own corporate colors or brands. All this in the form of stencils and masks is to be applied to the aircraft fuselage. The color scheme must strictly match the color scheme of the livery provided by the owner of the vessel. Depending on the complexity of the drawing, individual parts are painted several times, with obligatory intermediate drying.
The final step is varnishing, which not only adds a glossy sheen and refreshed look, but also protects the aircraft's hull from the weather.
Varnishes and paintsfor aircraft
There are two types of paints made specifically for this job:
- acrylic;
- polyurethane.
The use of each of them is determined by the technical and flight characteristics of the aircraft, as well as the financial capabilities of the airline. Acrylic is traditionally used to work on turboprop hulls, and polyurethane - on turbojet ones. The latter also contributes to fuel economy, due to the property to reduce air resistance.
The advantage of acrylic is a slightly lower cost, since such paint is also produced in Russia, but the polyurethane version of the coating is only imported. For some types of painting work using polyurethane, it is necessary to use specialized equipment, also bought abroad.
The thickness of all coating layers can be less than 0.2mm, and the weight is always more than 100kg. Liveries are quite heavy attire for airplanes.
Festive aircraft liveries
Don't think that aircraft are only subject to painting when changing ownership. Various events in the country, the world and in the airline itself can also force you to put on new liveries. This is a way to emphasize what is happening. As a rule, such color schemes are not applied in bulk. One or more aircraft are subjected to exclusive painting.
In honor of the 1000th anniversary of Austria, Austrian Airlines painted one of its Airbuses with portraits of compatriots who lefttrace their activities not only in the country, but also in the world
- Japan Airlines dressed up as many as six Boeings in liveries dedicated to both its 50th anniversary and the opening of the Disney park in the capital of Japan.
- Russian planes are not far behind. Aeroflot, in honor of its 90th anniversary, dressed one of its aircraft in a festive livery. For development, a special competition was arranged, during which the "Dry SuperJet-100" turned into a chic toy with Khokhloma painting.
Air New Zeland, self-proclaiming itself the official air carrier of Middle-earth, placed the heroes of the novels of J. R. R. Tolkien on the top three of its cars. This was due to the fact that many of the movie scenes based on his novels were filmed in New Zealand
Transaero's livery, dedicated to a charity event to help sick children, made one of the airline's aircraft a "Flight of Hope". Dozens of colorful palms imprinted on the fuselage
Virtual world of aviation
Childhood is the perfect time to dream. Little astronauts, football players, motorists, ballerinas are born in every soul, but, growing up, they either disappear without a trace, or remain small.
The dream of becoming a pilot allows you to realize the world of virtuality. A lot of flight simulators are currently creating very real universes, giving a feeling of complete presence. Flight simulators included. Aerosoft liveries add rich variety to aviation virtual reality. The addon company has created many modifications for all types of aircraft.
