Performance cost of paint job

[Sled]

Originally posted by Overlag
americans have no style, so couldnt paint there planes.

Oh get serious,

we had the best looking nose art of the war.

[Roscoroo]

actually Aluminum is more work to keep in tune for the liter weight ...

it has to be buffed and polished on a weekly- monthly  basis to keep from oxidizing and dirt pitting .(this can cause as much drag as a unwaxed paint job)

[Overlag]

Originally posted by SLED
Oh get serious,

we had the best looking nose art of the war.

i was joking :t

[rabbidrabbit]

Back then they did not have big enough gold chains to hang around the noses, cool enough lighting or spinny rims so they made due.  There was a war going on ya know!  I always admired them for making the best of what precious little resources they had.

[kozhedub]

Originally posted by 2bighorn
Advantage in weight wasn't as obvious. Added weight was roughly 60-80lbs for an average sized fighter.

Not all planes were built 100% out of metal. They had wooden parts, fabric covered parts, etc. You had to protect those.

Good points, especially the non metal bit.

[zilla]

The original space shuttle external fuel tanks were painted white to help protect them from UV rays while sitting on the launch pad for long periods of time. When NASA found out that there was no danger from the UV they stopped using the paint. Here is a quote about the weight savings.

"Subsequent tests found that the paint wasn't vital for shuttle launches and it was abandoned to free up weight - about 600 pounds (272 kilograms) - for additional payload, NASA officials said. "

[zilla]

Additional pay load could just mean more Ho's an beer. Maybe one of those shiatsu massager cushions for the pilot.