Opinion: Aircraft Paint Industry Should Prioritize Technician Skills

Enter “aircraft painting trends” in any search engine and you will find that the market is growing. Customers are primarily benefiting from new coatings, which provide better protection while drying faster and lasting longer. Meanwhile, marketing departments are taking advantage of the ability to apply complex branding schemes to the shift in course.

Painting or applying new coatings to aircraft is both an art and a science; it must be done with knowledge and care. In 2011, the industry was forcefully reminded of the complexity and importance of work associated with removing and applying protective coatings on aircraft structures. The FAA issued an airworthiness directive (AD) requiring extensive inspections for scribe lines “in the fuselage skin at lap joints, the splice strap at certain butt joints, the skin or doubler at certain approved repair doublers, and the skin at decal locations.”

The economic analysis for the AD did not consider any out-of-service time for the aircraft requiring the inspections, the extra work associated with repairs or the follow-on inspections, as there was no terminating action included in the AD. Also, the prescriptive nature of the AD required operators to get alternative means of compliance for reapplying or restoring the surface finish for any unique finishing or furnishing, such as decals or unique branding.

During the AD’s comment period, the NTSB pointed out that the FAA’s rule did not “address the underlying condition that mechanics and technicians do not have the knowledge, training, and awareness to recognize that minor damage to pressurized airplane skin can result in fatigue cracking, which can result in depressurization events. The NTSB requests that the FAA reexamine existing maintenance practices and training techniques to educate personnel about the serious consequences of minor scratches and scribe lines on pressurized fuselage skin panels.”

Although the agency correctly stated that the NTSB’s recommendation was outside the scope of the AD, for a time the FAA focused audit efforts on the training of maintenance personnel and the methods, techniques and practices used to remove and reapply protective coatings on aircraft surfaces.

Concentrating on the knowledge and skills needed to properly remove and apply aircraft surface coatings is more important than the bells and whistles being touted in the aircraft painting market. The protective coatings for aircraft are not like paint on a fancy car—aircraft face conditions unimaginable to treasured ground vehicles. Composite and metallic surfaces require different processes and techniques; mixed surfaces require another set of knowledge and skills.

Understanding proper and improper removal techniques, recognizing corrosion and addressing it, and knowledge of the coating and its storage, usage and applications must be available to experienced technicians. It is not the branding that ensures this investment provides the highest return.

While marketing is focused on the ability to brand the aircraft, the technician and finance department must focus on the details—where the devil resides.

Sarah MacLeod is managing member of Obadal, Filler, MacLeod & Klein P.L.C. and a founder and executive director of the Aeronautical Repair Station Association. She has advocated for individuals and companies on international aviation safety law, policy and compliance issues since the 1980s.