No paint? good god!!

[Blackchang]

Scabber, its really not so ridiculous. A painted airliner requires a repaint every 6-8 years. Stripping, prepping and painting a vessel that big is a huge job, manpower and materials to do this are insanely expensive. Washing a painted airliner every so often takes about 2 days and is usually done in conjunction with a major service but still costs mucho dinero in labor. A minimally painted aircraft can look at least as good as a fully painted one.
A popular book about 747's once calculated that the cost of carting around 1 extra satchel of sugar in the comissary for one year in a passenger 747 as 1 gallon of fuel. Trust me, with an airplane that flies as much as an airliner, every little bit counts.
On a sidenote, everyone that scoffs at costcutting measures by the large airlines are usually the first to bitch about the price of a ticket when they want to fly somewhere. When you see Air Canada or Westjet doing something to save money, stop and think! They're ultimately trying to save you money so you can afford to visit your dear old white haired Nana. Smarten up!

[Right Seat Captain]

A painted airliner requires a repaint every 6-8 years.

Okay, but they just repainted the fleet last April.

[Mitch Cronin]

Okay, but they just repainted the fleet last April.

No. The airplanes are only being painted in the new colours as they come due for paint. This one was due (before which, they would strip all the old paint anyway) and they decided to polish the fuselage instead... the engine cowls and tail have been painted.

We still have several with the old paint scheme and they'll remain that way until they too need paint.

[Right Seat Captain]

I stand corrected.

[Croissant Wrench]

How nice, another thinly veiled Westjet thread.

Let's see, I want to go to Athens, Greece...I'll just check Westjets schedule and fares...WHAT they don't go there...well where do they go, let me check...Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver...ok...a few other Canadian cities and a couple of over served US cities...yes, well I guess that provides good competition for Air Canada...well maybe Perimeter.

[Canus Chinookus]

wtf are you talking about wrenchie?

[WJflyer]

The links to the images of the 767:
http://www.achorizons.ca/en/issues/2005 ... silver.htm
It's hideous! It looks like a class of high school shop students sanded and polished this plane! Air Canada could use a lesson in polishing airplanes.

[Right Seat Captain]

I agree that it looks as though the polishing was poorly done, but I kind of like the vintage look of the fuselage combined with the modern paint job on the tail. I still prefer their previous paint scheme.

[Rebel]

Hmm fin 613 is probably 20 years old, looks pretty good for an old airframe and it’s about to re-make modern Canadian aviation history if the test proves successful..

[boeingboy]

I saw this plane today in YVR - and all I can say is.....................................BLAH! this is the fuglyest paint job I've seen! It's embaressing! It makes the toothpaste blue scheme look good.

It might be alright if they didn't use that blue - it just looks tacky. Usually bare metal looks good (AA, JAL, etc..)

[grammar boy]

Hmm fin 613 is probably 20 years old, looks pretty good for an old airframe and it’s about to re-make modern Canadian aviation history if the test proves successful..

Holy crap Rebel, you must be part of the AC spin machine. "Canadian aviation history"? Yeah, it's the first bare metal plane in Canadian aviation history.

[Blue_Rider]

here's the plane in action...

http://www.airliners.net/open.file?id=9 ... 349&size=L

[WJflyer]

Still ugly... blue tail and engine doesn't help... if they painted the engine gray, and used the older dark green tail, then yes, it will look somewhat ok...

[VSF]

hmmmmm

http://www.airliners.net/open.file/960515/L/

part of me likes it better than the mint green.. but...

[Rebel]

[quote="grammar boyHoly crap Rebel, you must be part of the AC spin machine. "Canadian aviation history"? Yeah, it's the first bare metal plane in Canadian aviation history. [/quote]

It's a test paint design to find the best way to save $24,000 annually in fuel costs and still satisfy many other parameters. The final design is not cast in stone by any means and will be adjusted as all the parameters are evaluated.. You WJ folks sure have a lot to learn..

Actually since you appear not to know, the first bare metal Canadian aircraft belonged to TCA so we know what were doing.

[Lost in Saigon]

Here are the comments from Airliners.net

So far 90% don't like it.

A visitor from Canada posted Wed November 16, 2005:
It looks ugly.

A visitor from Mexico posted Wed November 16, 2005:
I agree, bad plane, and bad polish job, but as Youri said, smart move.

A visitor from United States posted Wed November 16, 2005:
Yeah, i hate it! I don't like it much for me. I like with white scheme is much better.

A visitor from United States posted Wed November 16, 2005:
Looks like a 7-up can.

A visitor from Costa Rica posted Wed November 16, 2005:
The shot is great, but the bare metal scheme is disgusting.

A visitor from Canada posted Wed November 16, 2005:
They should of polished the rest of the plane, not just the body, then it would look better, but I prefer the old livery to this.

A visitor from United Kingdom posted Wed November 16, 2005:
It's a good photo, but this is a very ugly aircraft. in part it looks like they didn't buff the airframe enough.

A visitor from Ireland posted Wed November 16, 2005:
I don't know. . . . The paint scheme seems ok, yet it doesn't seem to be polished that well. I suppose it's a change anyway!

A visitor from Brazil posted Wed November 16, 2005:
Fabulous, it literally looks like Heavy metal in the air.

A visitor from United States posted Wed November 16, 2005:
I hate it! The only thing that looks good is the tail!

[gelbisch]

It's the engine! REALLY doesn't match the polished look!

[grammar boy]

It's a test paint design to find the best way to save $24,000 annually in fuel costs and still satisfy many other parameters. The final design is not cast in stone by any means and will be adjusted as all the parameters are evaluated.. You WJ folks sure have a lot to learn..

Actually since you appear not to know, the first bare metal Canadian aircraft belonged to TCA so we know what were doing.

If fuel savings are what you are after, might I suggest hiring ramp workers who actually give a crap about parking airplanes, and not their silly union rules. I've seen many a crew reading the Toronto Sun with their feet up on the tug while an airplane idles at the lead-in triangle on the next gate for 30 mins because "It's not their flight and your crew is working a Dash at the East Beach".

For a guy who hates the WJ "kool aid", your AC "rah-rah" is pretty thick.

[Lo'n'slo]

Bad polish job, yes.

Otherwise I kind of like it.

As for cost cutting - there are surely a hell of a lot better ways to save $24K - but I guess they deserve A for effort.

Don't forget the gear.

[scabber]

Another amazingly intelligent cost cutting measure would be to make all flight crew weigh in at under 150 lbs, F/A and all !!! And, everyone on the airplane has to go pee right before departure.

Give me a break, its ugly and its an ridiculous idea. Good going AC!! Keep on trucking!!!

[Rebel]

[
For a guy who hates the WJ "kool aid", your AC "rah-rah" is pretty thick.

What’s the matter can’t handle the real story about our test paint job? Oh and if I had my way the ground crew responsible for such behaviour would be fired. Unfortunately we live in Canada and it's not allowed. It's just another example of unionism gone astray.

Gee all the WJ meetings start with the daily bashing of AC by your fearless leaders. Funny WJ is rarely even mentioned at any AC meetings. Heck we even have your WJ "CanadaEH" posting AC articles from the AC Horizon on the WJ private web sites. Must be something in your Kool-Aid…

[jamesel]

At least they're trying, although I'm not sure how much you will be able to tell about long term corrosion & upkeep in a trial of just a few weeks. My vote is that this is the "how we get rid of the all-over "minty fresh" scheme without looking like schmucks" plan.


Rebel said

Actually since you appear not to know, the first bare metal Canadian aircraft belonged to TCA so we know what were (sic) doing.

Most manufacturers of the '20's & '30's were quite proud of their "modern all metal" construction and did not usually paint their machines to prove they weren't "canvas covered', as well as for weight and quality reasons. TCA's first 10's of 1937 were bare metal like almost all of the new build metal machines of the times. For example, see:

(apologies if the pictures don't show - just washed the computer)
RCAF Ford Trimotor - 1929



Junkers w34 - 1930




Fairchild Super 71 - 1936



And as for "knowing what were doing" - how much is remembered or still applies about maintaining those 1930's Electra's? (lemme see now, it took two men and a dog about two days to polish it at 35 cents an hour so... a 767 would be..........)