Aircraft Graphics

[Galpin]

Today have been asked whether I would consider doing a complete vinyl wrap (instead of painting) my aircraft (Lightning) by a firm in Melbourne. I have never heard of this before and don't even know if it is viable on a fiberglass aircraft. I know of cars and boats that have been vinyl wrapped.

 

I did a Google search and found a company in Melbourne that does this kind of thing with cars etc.

 

Any suggestions!

 

 

[Admin]

There are two types of Vinyl - 5 year and heavy duty 7 year. I had all the graphics on my CT done in the 7 year vinyl with no problem by a guy here in Melbourne that also does cars.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Galpin]

Ian, would you think a full body wrap could be used? I know it would be expensive, but could it be done without effecting the overall stability of the fiberglass shell of the fuselage and wings of the aircraft. On a hot Wimmera day would a full body wrap be a problem. A full body wrap could have a very interesting design added to it.

 

 

[Guest ozzie]

found this on the latest EAA e-hotline, hope you have a big wallet

 

One Of A Kind: A Vinyl-Wrapped Pulsar

 

Alex Kozloff has seen 85 years pass by, but he's still coming up with new ideas. After reading an article about putting graphic designs on aircraft, he decided to wrap his entire airplane with vinyl. Alex decided he couldn't do it himself, so he found a Los Angeles company that does full-wrap vinyl on cars who was willing to use their equipment and know-how to give his Pulsar airplane a unique finish. The final cost of the vinyl-wrap was about $6,000, compared to an estimated $25,000 - $30,000 for hand painting and airbrushing the same graphics. Maybe we'll see a few more vinyl-wraps at AirVenture 2010!

 

 

[slartibartfast]

Looks like a great way to go.

 

 

Finding someone in Oz to do it might be an issue.

 

I have vinyl graphics covering bits of fibreglass, aluminium and fabric. 2 years now and showing no signs of any problems. The best bit is that I have spare Cheetah spots to cover any blemishes which develop. A little tear in the fabric - another spot. A stone chip - another spot. A bug you don't feel like scrubbing off - another spot.

 

Another year or 2 and I will have a full vinyl wrap.

 

 

[Guest ozzie]

I see plenty of cars and vans with some pretty wild graphics applied in this way seems to be pretty common now so just a mater of finding the right people to do it for you. in $ climate these days they will grab anywork going. me thinks.

 

 

[Admin]

I would be worried about the heat difference with a lot of graphics - with my aircraft being white and the stripes being blue there was a difference in heat when touching both.

 

I wouldn't like to comment on a full body wrap and as always...consult the aircraft manufacturer for their comments

 

 

[coltri]

I saw this a/c at Oshkosh in August sitting in the hot sun & took some pics because it has our Aussie white cockatoo on it. I read about it back in Oz & up to that point thought that it was painted, only to read that it was covered in vinyl.

 

regards

 

Coltri

 

 

[PapaFox]

While I've never seen the aircraft, there were some comments about wrapping the entire aircraft over on the VAF forums. Seems that the wrap looks great... from a distance

 

Vinyl graphics wrapped over most of the plane - VAF Forums

 

 

[batesey]

Hey Guys,

 

These are the graphics that were done for Tim Morgans Twister. Only took us a couple of days to have the aircraft back in the air after applying. There is a bit if work getting them to form around the rivets correctly, but after working the vinyl a bit they went down well and Tim hasn't told me of any issues to date with the application.

 

 

 

Cheers

 

Toby

 

 

[eightyknots]

Does anyone have an idea of the weight issue when comparing full vinyl wrap directly on the plane vs paint (with added graphics such as stripes)?

 

 

[pylon500]

My only concern with full covering would be the possibility of hiding 'damage' on the airframe, more so on a composite structure.

 

Arthur.