TUIfly 737-800 D-ATUD

 

Here:

http://library.avsim.net/download.php?DLID=161999

Looks great Steve, about time they changed their colors I was never a big fan of the bare metal, although I understand why they did it.

 

You'd think in a time of increasing fuel cost and being in a position to renegotiate labour agreements to bring down the cost of maintenance, that polished metal would become more attractive, not less. I'm sure the guys in charge will have their reasons though.

You'd think in a time of increasing fuel cost and being in a position to renegotiate labour agreements to bring down the cost of maintenance, that polished metal would become more attractive, not less. I'm sure the guys in charge will have their reasons though.

 

Polished metal is actually more maintenance intensive. As its name itself says, it has to be polished.

The big problem is not that, though. The big problem is, there is no more bare metal in the future. 787 has composite fuselage, and A320s dont have bare metal as they use different technique from Boeing and have this greenish-brownish metal.

 

Anyway, and this is not about you Steve, but in general, many people making fantasy repaints neglect one thing - the branding must work as a whole. Logo, colors, shapes, fonts, you have to be able to use them on websites, loyalty cards, boarding passes, airport lounges... (meanwhile, graphic designers who do fantasy rebrandings tend to forget that their scheme must work on aircraft, aiport equipment, cars...)

Stunning, Steve. Curious to see how the tail will fit into it! :-)

 

I have some ideas for the tail and the winglets. It might require adjusting the top blue to extend to the rear base of the vertical stab. I would adjust the white and red areas to allow for the blue adjustment, Again...this was just a brainstorming paint....lol. Not sure if I'll ever release this as an American Airlines livery. It could make it into the library as a BBJ -700 without the American related markings..

 

I keep checking around for any anouncements on the new American Airlines look. Nothing yet.

I keep checking around for any anouncements on the new American Airlines look. Nothing yet.

 

Why not send them your idea?

you never know, your paint looks good enough

 

Personally I think it will be a mainly white livery with "American" written in big on the fuselage, with a different, fresher letter type.

It's just a guess.

Polished metal is actually more maintenance intensive. As its name itself says, it has to be polished.

The big problem is not that, though. The big problem is, there is no more bare metal in the future. 787 has composite fuselage, and A320s dont have bare metal as they use different technique from Boeing and have this greenish-brownish metal.

 

Yes polished metal is more maintenance intensive, but you save fuel due to the lower weight. The two effects are more or less in balance (i.e. what you save in fuel you pay in extra maintenance). However if the price of fuel goes up (as it likely will even more in future) and the cost of maintenance man-hours go down (due to using chapter 11 to break up the contracts) the balance will start tipping towards polished metal.

Airbus uses aluminium of the same colour as Boeing by the way, the greenish-brownish stuff is primer, not the metal itself. Most Boeing planes also are covered in primer. Just look up some pictures of the Boeing assembly line and you will see the fuselages have a blueish-green colour.

Your points about the disappearance of the bare metal option are well made.

Yes polished metal is more maintenance intensive, but you save fuel due to the lower weight. The two effects are more or less in balance (i.e. what you save in fuel you pay in extra maintenance). However if the price of fuel goes up (as it likely will even more in future) and the cost of maintenance man-hours go down (due to using chapter 11 to break up the contracts) the balance will start tipping towards polished metal.

 

Yes, good point about the balance John-Alan. It has been said, that due to lower fuel consumption it has been less effective to shed weight of paint compared to what it was in the past, but it is true that fuel price goes up, and work price is likely to go down.

 

 

Airbus uses aluminium of the same colour as Boeing by the way, the greenish-brownish stuff is primer, not the metal itself. Most Boeing planes also are covered in primer. Just look up some pictures of the Boeing assembly line and you will see the fuselages have a blueish-green colour.

 

The difference is, you can get rid of the Boeing primer and be left with bare metal, but you can not get rid of Airbus primer. As I understand, that is, what I have read about the topic, Airbus-type primer is a type that is either chemically reacting with the metal skin itself (rather than being painted on it) - which is one reason I have read, or that it is required somehow for structural reasons (as exposed metal skin would loose structural properties through atmospheric effects) - the other theory.

Either way, all accounts agree that it is not possible to have an A320 in bare metal finish due to technology used.

Yes polished metal is more maintenance intensive, but you save fuel due to the lower weight. The two effects are more or less in balance (i.e. what you save in fuel you pay in extra maintenance). However if the price of fuel goes up (as it likely will even more in future) and the cost of maintenance man-hours go down (due to using chapter 11 to break up the contracts) the balance will start tipping towards polished metal.

Airbus uses aluminium of the same colour as Boeing by the way, the greenish-brownish stuff is primer, not the metal itself. Most Boeing planes also are covered in primer. Just look up some pictures of the Boeing assembly line and you will see the fuselages have a blueish-green colour.

Your points about the disappearance of the bare metal option are well made.

 

There are savings for polished metal in other areas too: less hazardous chemicals to store, no need to strip paint for corrosion inspection, etc.

 

I've seen this argued back and forth on A.net a few times, and I've never seen a clear and indisputable argument on either side. Best answer I saw was (I'm paraphrasing) that American will tell you they save money by not painting, other airlines will say they save money by painting, and the manufacturers will tell you they don't care either way so long as they get paid. ;-)

 

There are definitely polished Airbuses (Airbii?) out there, but they're certainly not the norm:

 

See www.airliners.net/photo/American-Airlines/Airbus-A300B4-605R/1847602/L/

Michael, A300 is a totally different animal in regards to modern Airbus products.

Michael, A300 is a totally different animal in regards to modern Airbus products.

 

Yes, obviously. I'm just (albeit with tongue in cheek) gently refuting the assertion that you can't have a polished Airbus.

 

A polished new Airbus, maybe not. ;-)

Christain, it looks fantastic to me as it is!!

You impress me more and more with every repaint, Christian

Christian, it's Wow ! I want to fly immediately !!!! :good:

 

Thanks for the comments guys! I am a bit puzzled myself that I managed to do that repaint at all :smile:. Time is a bit short at the moment but I am trying to release the Starliner 75 in the next days. In the meantime one shot of a livery I am currently working on too.

 

Ryanair's dreamliner - EI-DCL.

 

 

I am aware that a certain group has done this livery too, but for those who prefer an easier download and cleaner version...here you go :wink:.

 

best regards,

I tried to upload the screen shot below last night, but apparently Photobucket has some issues affecting more folks than just me. Here's that fictional American Airlines -700 with the tail and winglets painted. If I decide to upload this, I'll probably repaint the red on the fuselage as the edges are not quite up to my standards for smooth edges.

 

 

Ryanair's dreamliner - EI-DCL.

I am aware that a certain group has done this livery too, but for those who prefer an easier download and cleaner version...here you go :wink:.

 

best regards,

 

Wonderful work Christian!

Here are some final shots of the fictional American -700. If the feedback on this is positive, I'll clean up the red and try to get it uploaded later today or tomorrow.

 

 

 

Here are some final shots of the fictional American -700. If the feedback on this is positive, I'll clean up the red and try to get it uploaded later today or tomorrow.

 

 

Very nice Steve!

 

I've also been working on another One World member. The Finnair retro is on hold because I can't find the right rear fuse logo and the font used on the fuselage. So I'm working on another to fly from Helsinki.

 

WIP: