When sister publication Aviation Consumer tried professionally-applied ceramic coatings on several test bed aircraft a couple of years ago, the big question wasn't if the coating provides a brilliant, slick finish, but instead would it stand the test of time? To see how it held up, we brought one of the aircraft back to an aircraft detailer for touchups and flew away more than satisfied with the original high investment.
The USAF discovered that there are 2 potential problems with ceramic coatings applied to exterior of Acft for decorative purposes.
[1] There is a noticeable mass increase… ~3x that of conventional paint systems… but not too bad.
[2] The coating is incredibly durable but does degrade… fades, chips, cracks, etc… slowly. However, when it comes time for a ‘paint refresh’ the coatings [as tested by USAF] resisted all chemical paint strippers and abrasive media blast methods. In effect, the test coatings were stubbornly resistant to stripping without skin damage.
I hope this ceramic paint system was co-developed with effective methods for stripping it off without heroic means/methods. This usually comes as an development afterthought by coating vendors.
PS: The ceramic paint system ‘as tested by USAF’ was applied to an older jet. When stripping processes all failed, the jet was summarily ‘retired’.
I clay bar and ceramic coat my Maule annually. It’s a BIG JOB but worth it for the looks and peace of mind for the protection it provides. The plane is hangered, looks new after 23 years, sheds bugs and dirt almost automatically. I like it. I also ceramic coat my cars, motorcycles and bicycles.
I was thinking of doing a ceramic coat on our new car. Couldn’t decide on a product, so I haven’t done it this year. May I ask what product you have been using?
Thanks,
Lowell
I like Meguires, Mothers is also good. You can look it up online, but there are countless reviews of countless products, and they all seem about equally good. It is supposed to last for years, but I do it annually.
Thanks for the info. I had been considering a P&S product. Reviews for different products are all over the place. For any one product there are haters and others saying it is great. Good to hear that you like both the Mequires and Mother. Will be next years project.
OK… You say. Remember ~80% of all paint is aft of the wing 1/4-chord [nominal CG fore-aft].
Assuming You have a typical/conventional flight control system…
I do recommend you at least balance check your ailerons, rudder and elevators… they are very light and have ~80-to-90% of their surface area AFT of the hinge line.
I was the USAF lead engineer for the O-2A [MIL SkyMaster]. I attended one accident investigation where in a steep high speed dive [close to VNE] an, aileron fluttered and tore-itself in-half and the wing separated. The mishap investigating discovered that, on the 0.020-thick aileron skin, there was a very thick layers of primer and paint accumulation [~0.028-thick]. Without ballasting the surface was subject to flutter at high speed, aggravated during the dive pull-out. What a hot mess. Unit had been ‘touching-up’ the aircraft for appearance sake… without control surface balance/rebalance… and were also NOT redoing any aircraft weight and balance. All would likely have been OK IF the aircraft had been stripped to bare metal and then refinished ever 2-or-3-touch-ups.
I appreciate your thoughts WT but it concerns me not at all. The weight of the coating is no more than a old school Carnauba wax and we flew for 100 years with that on our planes with no problem. What about dust and grime? I’d wager that weighs more still. I prefer my steed to be spotless but surely dirty airplane can still fly. What about the rain? Wet airplanes still fly, and the water weighs more than the coatings do.
Glad I could help. I likewise frustrated myself researching for some time and eventually went with the companies I’ve used for automobile/motorcycle/airplane detailing for decades. I’m sure you’ll like it.
I see that this ‘ceramic coating’ is actually an over-coating-treatment applied onto an existing paint scheme [Polyurethane] to add the durability/abrasion resistance/gloss and fade resistance to the existing finish. From the TDS it looks like the initial guarantee is ~8-years+ when occasionally ‘refreshed’ by various secondary-applications. OK I get it now. Yeah 0.0003 thick mist-coating adds VERY LITTLE mass.
Sorry been doing this for +40years and I’ve heard about wonderous results from new products… only to tempered when reading the fine print and many other factors. Somehow the DoD corrosion managers tend to find the weaknesses of many ‘hot products’ in the world of corrosion treatment and protection… and interior/exterior finishes.
I apply in annually to the airplane, and a couple times a year to the cars. I don’t know if it would last 8 years (sounds like that’s unlikely), so not a miracle but a good product.
