A typical business aircraft paint job can cost from $30,000 to $250,000, depending on the aircraft – and if the operator is not careful it can start deteriorating the moment it is applied. Californian-based Granitize Aviation Products (booth 1357) is here with a product designed to prolong the life of paint finishes and keep aircraft brightwork bright.
Aircraft paint can quickly dull as a result of exposure to air pollution and high-altitude ultra-violet radiation. It is also vulnerable to damage and staining from airframe temperature variations, fluid spillages and acid rain. And the bright unpainted areas of aircraft structure start to oxidise and dull the moment they leave the finishing shop. Granitize’s XZilon 3 airframe treatment fluid is designed to protect and prolong the life of paint and slow the oxidation of polished bare metal.
The aircraft exterior should first be cleaned carefully to remove old organic material and smooth the surface of the paint. Three coats of XZilon 3 are then applied at 20min intervals. “The first application fills voids in the paint,” says Larry Sweetser, director of Granitize’s aviation division. “The second and third applications attach to the surface, helping to prevent the brightwork from corroding and laying down a superslick coating on painted surfaces.”
Additional benefits include reduced engine-exhaust soot build-up and resistance to saltwater spray. It is also claimed to reduce parasite drag by up to 25%, resulting in fuel savings. Typical cost of a first-time application on a Gulfstream IV is $900. “You would recover that in fuel savings alone,” says Sweetser.
Follow-up applications are needed every 400 flight hours for an aircraft left outdoors and every 500-600 flight hours for one kept in a hangar. Once the surface has been initially fine-tuned, future applications require the operator only to clean the aircraft with an alcohol-based fluid and then apply the three coats of XZilon 3.
Source: Flight Daily News