FUSION Issue 3-2026 DIGITAL - Flipbook - Page 10
AEROSPACE
PREPARATION TIME EXCEEDS SPRAY TIME
SCALE CHANGES THE STAKES
Masking a business jet bears no resemblance to masking
a car. The surface area, the compound geometry of
the wing roots and nacelles, and the consequence of a
single failure are all in a different category. The planning
starts long before the tape does.
MASKING IS NOT FINISHING'S FOOTNOTE
The quality of the mask determines the quality of
the edge. On a certified aircraft, that edge will be
inspected, recorded, and live with the livery for years.
A bleed-through is not a cosmetic issue. It is a rework.
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On a job like this, the hours spent masking will
significantly outnumber the hours spent spraying.
That ratio is not inefficiency. It is the job. Every hour
of preparation is protecting days of finishing work
that follows.
