Learjet: 12-Year Inspections with Aircraft Paint

March 2014

When planning a complete paint alongside the 12-year inspection for your Learjet* aircraft, or any maintenance activity that requires the leading edges be uninstalled, I recommend you consider having the wings painted while the leading edges are removed.

Painting Without the Leading Edges

Duncan Aviation has seen occurrences where environmentally friendly or high solids paint will be a bit thicker along some tape lines. When that line is behind the polished surface of the leading edge, especially on the top surface of the wing, it could have an impact on the aerodynamic stall characteristics of that particular wing.

Therefore while the leading edges are already removed and a Stall Flight Test or Aerodynamic Stall Verification is required, leave the leading edges off for paint. This will eliminate the paint becoming thick along the tape lines behind the leading edges.

Bombardier Customer Services engineering advises paint buildup may occur even with leading edges removed. Caution and use of appropriate procedures and materials is of paramount importance in all scenarios.

Please Note

Learjet 40*, Learjet 45*, Learjet 70* and Learjet 75* aircraft do not require a Stall Flight Test flight when the leading edges are removed in accordance with the applicable AMM. However, paint buildup may still occur for these platforms and strict adherence to the allowable mismatch between leading edge and wing skin (0.03 inch, per the AMM) is required.

*Trademarks of Bombardier Inc. or its subsidiaries