Pretty in Paint

People make impressions with their outward appearances, and commercial airline carriers are no different. If it catches your eye, you just might be tempted to catch the next flight.

Just about every model of Boeing airplane currently in production has sported a unique livery in recent years. From U.S. carriers such as Southwest Airlines and American Airlines to international customers All Nippon Airways and Qantas, airlines sometimes opt for a distinctive, customized livery. Even the Boeing house livery has seen a few innovative touches lately.

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Not just scraping by anymore

While some may say art is sacred, the artistic application of an airplane's livery certainly isn't, as decorative painters always are looking for ways to improve their craft.

Painting an airplane has always been physically demanding work. Commercial airplane skin panels are covered with a temporary protective coating to protect the metal from damage or corrosion during the manufacturing and assembly processes. Paint shop employees use hand-sanders to clean all previously primed surfaces. Once that's complete, employees climb all over the aircraft to manually abrade the surface with Scotch-Brite pads to ensure the primer coat adheres to the metal.

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