Red Paint Question

Greetings from the Gatwick Clubhouse.

I am having some late breakfast and bucks fizz (as you do) and I am bemused by the fact that two new livery aircraft parked in front of the clubhouse seem to have quite different colours of red on their tailplanes. See the photo. I might have put it down to my colour blindness, but my colleague Andy who is with me (and knows nothing of a V-flyer's attention to such detail!) said "Why is the tail on that one coming in so much darker than this one?"

The near one is Ruby Tuesday VXLG. I can't identify the far one, but it left the gate at Gatwick around 11:00am this morning (Mon 21st)
Hot Lips in old livery is the one in the foreground.

I thought VS were going for consistencey with the new branding? You would think that would extend to the identical colours. ?|

My Blackberry does not take a great picture, particuarly when zoomed, but the aircraft are parked at identical angles to the sun etc.

Very interesting! Definitely a noticable difference in the colours.

I thought there was mention in an earlier post (unable to locate) that the new paint they had used was peeling off so had to use an alternative - this may be an explanation for the difference in shade of red!

Hmmmmm!

Isn't it nice to see those big birds lined up!

Am I going blind or what.
How come I can see three 744 but only two tail-planes, even my work colleague is confused.

Am I going blind or what.
How come I can see three 744 but only two tail-planes, even my work colleague is confused.

The tailplane for G-VLIP (the 744 in the old livery closest to the camera) isn't in the photo.

Virgin have got 5 liveries active at the moment:
- 2000 scheme with the blue surround on the tail
- livery with the all red tail with purple tint in the rudder (only on a couple of 747's)
- livery with the all red tail on the newer A340's
- livery with the metallic red paint and new font
- livery on the new A330 without metallic paint but with the new font.

Confused?!

Am I going blind or what.
How come I can see three 744 but only two tail-planes, even my work colleague is confused.

The tailplane for G-VLIP (the 744 in the old livery closest to the camera) isn't in the photo.

Well spotted Tinks, G-VLIP is on the closest stand to the clubhouse so the tailplane is hidden behind the building far right.

I took another (poor) snap of the dark tailplane of Ruby Tuesday (G-VXLG) from the gate before I boarded Pretty Woman (G-VROY) at gate 19 next door.

Ruby Tuesday is definitely very dark compared to all the others - new or old.

Ruby Tuesday's dark tailplane

Only G-VAST G-VXLG and G-VROC have got that new dark red paint

Virgin have got 5 liveries active at the moment:
- 2000 scheme with the blue surround on the tail
- livery with the all red tail with purple tint in the rudder (only on a couple of 747's)
- livery with the all red tail on the newer A340's
- livery with the metallic red paint and new font
- livery on the new A330 without metallic paint but with the new font.

Confused?!

Plus Birthday Girl! Although VFAB had been in AMS for the last couple of weeks so maybe time for a repaint?

Also, the only 747's in the old colours now are VBIG and VTOP - with VTOP in desperate need of a repaint. The 4 -443's, VWOW and VHOT are in the 2007 colours (with the purple tint tail. VROC, VAST and VXLG are in the 2010 colours. Not noticed until now that VXLG was a darker shade of red. VXLG is the one with the problems of paint peeling off so maybe they did something a bit different on Ruby Tuesday?

Edit: Found a recent pic of VTOP looking very tatty!
http://www.planespotters.net/Aviation_Photos/photo.show?id=173201

G-VAST ladybird is behind G-XLG me thinks!
I agree some if the fleet are in need of some TLC! Still wouldn't fly with anybody else though!!!
Can't wait for LHR-LAX in 37 days!!

G-VROC seems to be back at MAN this week. I seem to remember that this is where the repainting was taking place last year.

I know that the main problems re paint peeling were with G-VXLG but I wonder whether they've worked out a fix and have started applying it to all aircraft with the new liveries?

Seeing as G-VROC was the first to be painted this would make sense....?

Matt

I saw that too - seem to remember just after it was repainted VS werent too happy with the quality of the job and they wanted it redone. Now VFAB has come back (via Manston?) i guess theres room for VROC to go back in.

Landed next to VXLG last week and it's really bad. Crew said it going back to paintshop for repairs.

There's a huge and I mean huge bit of paint missing of the top of the outboard left hand engine cowling.

David

Just to bump this one back up the forum, are any of the other aircraft heading in for repaint in to the new livery?

So far (I think) we've only got G-VAST G-VXLG and G-VROC (747's) and the two new A330's?

G-VBIG flew LHR-MAN this afternoon, not sure whether this was a positioning flight or if it's gone into MAN for painting. I thought G-VTOP would be next, I saw it at LGW the other day and it looked terrible!

Matt

Seem to remember VS saying when the new scheme was launched in July last year the entire fleet would be done in 2 years. Well they better get a move on if theyre going to stick to that schedule!

The red isn't any darker, it's just metallic which means it reflects shadows. So in the sun it looks brighter.

With the A330 flat red scheme as the latest version revealed, the real question is whether the next 744 will have metallic red or flat red.

G-VBIG just came out of Manchester Air Livery this week with a shiny new coat of paint, and G-VELD arrived to go in for painting. Looks like things are getting back on track.

http://www.tasmanchester.co.uk/MAN_Reports.html

G-VBIG does look swish in her new coat of paint

Yep G-VBIG looks great. I seem to recall hearing that airbus hadn't agreed to the new paint for some reason which is why the A330s have a different shade of red - does anyone have any more info on this?

So now only G-VTOP left in the 2000 scheme of the 747's then. Might see a few of the 346's going in next then as most of those are in the 2000 colours.

Heres a closer pic:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/northernco ... otostream/ - hmm looks like they missed the e off tinkerbelle

Heres a closer pic:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/northernco ... otostream/ - hmm looks like they missed the e off tinkerbelle

Yes, it does ... .. and if you compare this photo of her earlier livery with that new one you can see that the flying lady has a) got a bit smaller and b) dropped a bit of flag that was in her right hand.
I hope it doesn't get sucked up into an engine on take off

Heres a closer pic:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/northernco ... otostream/ - hmm looks like they missed the e off tinkerbelle

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
v( v( v( v( v( v( v( v( v( v( v( v( v( v( v( v( v(

G-VBIG just landed in MIA for the Anniversary Party and wing walk.

Guess they're trying to make the Candy Apple red work!

G-VBIG just came out of Manchester Air Livery this week with a shiny new coat of paint, and G-VELD arrived to go in for painting. Looks like things are getting back on track.

http://www.tasmanchester.co.uk/MAN_Reports.html

Will be the first 343 in the new c/s.