Modern military jets - white wheel wells and landing gear?

[NZ7C]

(new to hobby) I have seen a lot of on-line images of model jets with white landing gear and/or wheel wells. Can someone tell me if this is realistic or does normal wear and tear cause the whole apparatus to be dark and grimy - extremely weathered - or do the military services keep there jets in pristine condition at all times? Thanks in advance. Name's Tim

[thegoodsgt]

I think the images you see online tell the whole story. Some aircraft are well maintained, leading to landing gear bays that are relatively "clean," but other aircraft are not maintained with the same level of attention, so they'll appear more grimy. As we like to say, "Check your references."

 

Steven Brown

Scale Model Soup

 

[Scooby]

There is always dirt and grime regardless of the level of maintenance. We always dry to keep them clean though.

[NZ7C]

Scooby -

 Thanks for replying. So does an F18 or F15, for example, when totally clean actually have white landing gear? If so, what material is the landing gear made of? Thanks for the input!! Tim

[Chris D]

The landing gear bays are painted white to make it easier for maintainers to spot small leaks, like hydraulic fluid, even at night.  Everything stands out against white paint including when the hangars are illuminated with red lights.  They're usually kept fairly clean so that any leak doesn't just get soaked up by the dirt, but they aren't pristine white during normal operations.  The paint itself begins to stain.

Depending on the aircraft, they are either more or less clean during normal operating conditions.  For example, the Harrier has the gear bays located right next to the exhausts and is in the area where that exhaust gas is trapped during VTOL, so typically the gear bays on a Harrier won't ever be truly white.

 

Best thing to do is paint them white, then look at the particular type of aircraft to see how clean they usually look.

 

Chris

[Slartibartfast]

As one might expect, landing gear are made of metal. The oleo is, of course, stainless steel. Most of the rest of the gear is also steel of various alloys for strength.

[Scooby]

5 hours ago, NZ7C said:

Scooby -

 Thanks for replying. So does an F18 or F15, for example, when totally clean actually have white landing gear? If so, what material is the landing gear made of? Thanks for the input!! Tim

 

We’d wipe down the gear with a rag and clean with a spray bottle on the Hornet. But as others have mentioned, staining remains in certain areas. As well, the crevices would always have accumulation.

 

The cleanest I ever saw gear were on Singapore F-16s. Those guys were freaks about cleanliness. I touched one of their jets once and they wiped down where I placed my hand.

[NZ7C]

To all of you: thanks so much for the help - this is terrific. i have a much clearer understanding!!  Maybe there will be an air show near me one day and I can see an F18 or F15 up close. for now it's time start painting my F18 wheel wells. thanks all!

tim

[achterkirch]

http://imgur.com/Id3AXbg

http://imgur.com/dzVJsGz

first one a superhornets nose gear and the second is a F-15C's main gear.  Both are decently dirty. 

[NZ7C]

achterkirch - perfect - thank you!