Yep! A lot of the surface panels on planes take a surprising amount of damage. As it turns out air moving really fast causes lots of friction, sort of like a sandblaster or power washer. Also, lots of the panels on modern planes are made of composites (like plastics, but fancier) so these panels need to be regularly replaced over time. Damage is often covered up with Speed tape to provide a smooth surface which is resistant to UV light, heat, and air damage. That’s the “$400 duct tape” you see on planes, but it’s actually self-adhesive aluminum tape (also it’s like maybe $30 per roll, no idea where the $400 rumour started. Maybe a weird third party amazon listing that went viral or something?)
Why is it screws and not rivets, do they need to change the panels often?
Yep! A lot of the surface panels on planes take a surprising amount of damage. As it turns out air moving really fast causes lots of friction, sort of like a sandblaster or power washer. Also, lots of the panels on modern planes are made of composites (like plastics, but fancier) so these panels need to be regularly replaced over time. Damage is often covered up with Speed tape to provide a smooth surface which is resistant to UV light, heat, and air damage. That’s the “$400 duct tape” you see on planes, but it’s actually self-adhesive aluminum tape (also it’s like maybe $30 per roll, no idea where the $400 rumour started. Maybe a weird third party amazon listing that went viral or something?)