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Vinyl covered aluminum RV's

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  • Vinyl covered aluminum RV's

    Interesting thread. Never thought about this. Might be a good option for those planning on getting their airplanes scuffed up.

    Paint for airplanes HulaGirl has been flying now for 18 months, 175 hours with the 3M 1080 film holding up just fine. Alternate to paint finishes: Vinyl color wrapped finish, along with polished Aluminum. Why; I wanted a finish that I could do myself, within my skill set and in my hanger...


  • #2
    I believe it sticks to fabric planes pretty awesomely, too.
    Christopher Owens
    Bearhawk 4-Place Scratch Built, Plans 991
    Bearhawk Patrol Scratch Built, Plans P313
    Germantown, Wisconsin, USA

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    • #3
      I plan to wrap a portion of my wings, the engine cowl and fuselage striping.

      People have been wrapping aluminum planes for a while.
      Scratch Built 4-place Bearhawk. Continental IO-360, 88" C203 McCauley prop.

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      • #4
        Oratex even has all kinds of pre-printed patterns (checkerboards, etc) that work amazingly well with their system.
        Jim Parker
        Farmersville, TX (NE of Dallas)
        RANS S-6ES (E-LSA) with Rotax 912ULS (100 HP)

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        • #5
          A member of our local EAA chapter just bought a Zenith 750 all done in vinyl. I was stunned at how nice it looked, including close up detail. If I didn't know I would have thought it was painted. A couple of caveats I have read, it will fade in the sun so best only used if the plane will be hangared, and best used in a dry climate to avoid possible corrosion under the wrap.

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          • #6
            I knew they did it to vehicles for advertising. I never heard of it on airplanes.
            It will be difficult to talk me out of using it to cover the aluminum wings. Cheaper, lighter, and quicker than paint. Other than the wingtips, should go on super easy on the wings.

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            • #7
              I've read it can be a real pain to remove. And corrosion is a possibility if your aluminum underneath is not primed and painted. There are several threads on this over on VAF, but they mostly say you need a completely polished and blemish free surface for the vinyl to adhere to, either polished Alclad or a nice topcoat. It will really highlight any imperfections. Oh and the colors will fade with exposure.
              Last edited by Archer39J; 01-16-2018, 01:38 AM.
              Dave B.
              Plane Grips Co.
              www.planegrips.com

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