Vinyl wrapping for airplanes vs painting

Fracpilot

Fracpilot

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Fracpilot
Has anyone done the vinyl wrapping for airplanes? It’s seems the avg cost to paint a 310 has increased $6-8k in the past 9 months. I don’t have to have a paint job now and can afford to wait it out.

I’m saw there is a company that vinyl wraps airplanes instead of painting them. Of course I’d like to have my planes surface corrosion treated first before wrapping it. Has anyone done this or have any recommendations about it?

Thanks in advance!


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Weight is a huge concern. Have you looked into that aspect of it?
 
Vinyl burns pretty well. I'd ask at your local FSDO.
 
I believe there have been problems with corrosion around rivet heads. They create a bubble where moisture, perhaps from inside, can find its way along the rivet and into that bubble and stay there and do damage.
 
Dan Thomas said:
I believe there have been problems with corrosion around rivet heads. They create a bubble where moisture, perhaps from inside, can find its way along the rivet and into that bubble and stay there and do damage.
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Corrosion is the big risk. Moisture seeps under an edge of the vinyl, creates corrosion, and the corrosion creeps further from there. You need epoxy primer or paint under the vinyl to avoid this.
 
Fracpilot said:
Of course I’d like to have my planes surface corrosion treated first before wrapping it.
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Are you talking about a TC'd aircraft or E/AB? Wrapping is not a replacement for paint in most cases. Some new E/AB-LSA aircraft use it but for existing TC's aircraft it can be problematic. If your paint is not in good shape or you have corrosion issues, wrapping can worsen the problem especially when you go to remove it. Plus it has a finite life. In addition, wrapping an entire aircraft requires additional approval vs simply adding accents, etc. There have been several PoA threads on this that go into more detail, along with the current guidance which I can't post at the moment. But if you do pursue this on a TC'd aircraft be sure your APIA is on board and the installation vendor understands the existing guidance and only uses aviation grade vinyl products.
 
In 2015 I got a price quote to wrap my plane while I was also getting quotes for painting. Wrapping was going to cost just as much as painting for a full wrap. As others have alluded to, wrapping only hides your ugly existing paint and is very questionable concerning corrosion underneath. I saw no advantage at that time to wrap a plane with the cost being so high. Also, as stated above in a previous post, you need to consider the weight gain of the wrap. When your plane is painted the old paint is removed and there is no net weight gain. I have been really happy with my paint job and feel like I made the right call for me. I think there is a place for vinyl on airplanes if you want to do some special limited graphics that would either be difficult or impossible to achieve in paint. I just don’t think full wraps are a good idea.
 
MickYoumans said:
In 2015 I got a price quote to wrap my plane while I was also getting quotes for painting. Wrapping was going to cost just as much as painting for a full wrap. As others have alluded to, wrapping only hides your ugly existing paint and is very questionable concerning corrosion underneath. I saw no advantage at that time to wrap a plane with the cost being so high. Also, as stated above in a previous post, you need to consider the weight gain of the wrap. When your plane is painted the old paint is removed and there is no net weight gain. I have been really happy with my paint job and feel like I made the right call for me. I think there is a place for vinyl on airplanes if you want to do some special limited graphics that would either be difficult or impossible to achieve in paint. I just don’t think full wraps are a good idea.
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Thank you. Exactly what I was looking for.


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We experimented with wrapping an F-16 and a C-130. Paint won out.
 
MooneyDriver78 said:
What about a hybrid approach, just painting a plane all white, which would be the cheapest paint job possible. Then use vinyl lettering for N numbers and some stripes?
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Look at any newish Cessna. I think that is how they come from the factory.
 
Wrapping has gotten so expensive It's not worth it unless you want a very elaborate paint job or advertisements all over your airplane. Different colors and complex patterns can easily double the cost of a paint job in labor. That's when a wrap really shines. Otherwise I would avoid them other than maybe using them for accents.
 
Another reality is this: Most sources say a wrap and can reach the end of its lifespan in as little as 3 years (I imagine that's if tied down in the sun and landed on dirt runways where gravel chips or sand hit it, etc)... typical claim seems to be about 7 years life, and 10 years seems to be considered long life for a wrap. Lots of sites with tips about how to remove the wrap at end of life. A good paint job can be good for decades.

( FWIW I do know one manufacturer of light sport aircraft that prefers wraps for custom designs buyers opt for on the basis of it being lighter than paint... And IMO probably they didn't want to get involved in the custom painting business. But I wonder if those buyers of the fancy and expensive wrap designs are in for disappointment 7 years down the line.)
 
I met a guy a few weeks back who wrapped the Van’s RV that he built. He said to plan on replacing the wrap in four to five years, as it hardens over time and removing it for replacement or repair is much more difficult after that happens.

Even if that isn’t always the case, will vinyl last as long as a good quality paint job? Spread the cost of paint over its lifespan, especially if hangared, and it’ll be the winner by a large margin. Plus dings and chips are easily repairable and repairing paint is a universally-known and practiced procedure.
 
ateamer said:
will vinyl last as long as a good quality paint job?
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No, but the life/performance of the applied wrap or graphic film also depends on the condition of the underlying paint. However, another factor when comparing is the type of graphic film used on whether it will last or be easily removed. Have installed a number of films and graphics with some still in good shape 10+ years later. But if the plan is to remove/replace on a regular schedule best to verify paint condition and type of graphic film used first as some will work better than others.
 
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