iscover
The older the aircraft the greater the risk of in-depth corrosion though this naturally varies according to the long term standard of maintenance the aircraft has had and its general operating environment. Aircraft operated typically in tropical, wet locales have for instance a far higher tendancy towards corrosion problems than those based mainly in arid regions. This DC-6 water bomber fights dual evils in operating in what is mostly a cold, wet environment whilst dispersing corrosive fire retardents whilst also flying low level manoeuvres which place far more stress on its airframe than would have been the case during its previous airline life. (Paul Merritt)
Corrosion & Light Aircraft
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Light aircraft generally end their days for one of two reasons: the first results in a BASI (or international equivalent) investigation, and the other is more or less covered by the label ‘uneconomic to repair’.
Nine times out of ten, that means it’s suffering from corrosion: it’s an insidious process that starts as soon as the aircraft is built and unless it is controlled, will ground the aircraft permanently sometime in the future.
Corrosion comes in various forms and affects all metals used in the construction of light aircraft. The simplest form is a conversion of the surface of the metal to an oxide. With aluminium alloy skinned aircraft this is in fact an advantage, ignoring the cosmetic aspects: Aluminium oxide is a very hard inert substance that protects the parent metal underneath – indeed, all paint shops use a chemical called Alodine to produce a similar coating before they prime the airframe. Unfortunately, the same doesn’t apply to other metals. Iron oxide, for instance, is porous and allows oxygen to continue to attack the parent metal. The same goes for other aluminium compounds. The problems really start with traces of corrosive chemicals in the atmosphere: sometimes it’s the local environment, such as the salt-laden air near the coast, but increasingly it’s the result of industrial pollution.
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