How to take beautiful airplane window photos when traveling?

Where did you travel in the Year of the Dragon? Beautiful photos taken from the airplane window are an important part of travel photos. However, during daily operation, airplanes are polluted by the atmosphere, the ground, and fuel exhaust. Dust, oil, oxides and other pollutants may accumulate on the surface of the fuselage and its components, and even cause corrosion. Especially in relatively less smooth areas such as the belly of the aircraft and the gaps between doors and windows, it is easy to "hide dirt and dirt" and form airflow marks or rust on the surface, which directly affects the appearance of the aircraft. Everyone must hope to take a plane with good appearance, otherwise how can you take beautiful photos in the air?

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In addition to affecting the appearance of the aircraft, the deposition of pollutants will also increase the weight of the aircraft by nearly 1%. In addition, the deterioration of the surface finish of the fuselage will increase the friction resistance, causing each aircraft to consume tens of tons of additional fuel each year, which is equivalent to an increase of nearly 100 tons of carbon emissions, a clear promoter of the greenhouse effect. In addition, it may increase the accumulation of static electricity in the body and affect safe flight. In serious cases, it will also shorten the service life of the aircraft structure.

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Therefore, it is not only for aesthetics, but also to ensure flight safety and green low-carbon, which requires regular "bathing" of the aircraft. Unlike experienced drivers who wash their cars according to their mood, airlines will arrange regular cleaning plans for aircraft based on the actual operating environment and even monitoring data of the aircraft. In the north, the aircraft is usually fully cleaned every 15-30 days, while in the south, the aircraft is cleaned every week due to high humidity and high temperature.

Weather factors need to be considered before cleaning, for example: avoid strong winds and rainy days to reduce the safety risks of high-altitude operations; in order to prevent the liquid from freezing on the surface of the aircraft body and landing gear, cleaning work will not be arranged in an icy environment below 4°C (when the water temperature is below 4°C, the water state is close to the critical point from liquid to solid). Because the icing of the aircraft will directly affect flight safety and even cause accidents.

Image source: Civil Aviation Resources Network

01 How do airplanes take showers?

1) “Spray + scrub” water washing mode

Before cleaning, the staff needs to put "shower caps" on the aircraft's static pressure holes, probes and other key equipment to waterproof them to prevent liquid from flowing into these areas and causing corrosion, or freezing during flight. After that, use cleaning fluid to spray the fuselage and wings from top to bottom and from front to back, and then use a high-pressure water washer to rinse the aircraft surface. For some more stubborn stains and pollutants, a special brush is needed to "scrub" the aircraft. The disadvantage of the traditional water washing method is that it consumes a lot of water resources. For example, it takes more than 11,300 liters of water to clean an Airbus A380 aircraft, and more than 9,500 liters of water to clean a Boeing 777 aircraft. In addition, the water washing method is difficult to effectively deal with corrosion and oxide film on the fuselage surface.

Image source: The Paper

2) Dry cleaning mode

The staff first directly applies professional cleaning agents on the aircraft fuselage, and then wipes it dry with professional cleaning tools. These professional cleaning agents do not damage the paint surface of the fuselage, and they also have the dual functions of cleaning, decontamination, waxing and polishing. The surface of the aircraft will last longer after cleaning, and the friction resistance will be smaller during the flight. The entire dry cleaning process only consumes 30-45 liters of water, which not only saves a lot of water resources, but also eliminates the possibility of water infiltrating into delicate parts such as aircraft probes and causing damage to equipment. The dry cleaning mode also has certain disadvantages. It is not suitable for removing carbon deposits, especially in the engine exhaust area.

Image source: Shangguan News

The number of people who clean an aircraft varies depending on the size of the aircraft. Usually, a narrow-body aircraft requires about 7-10 staff members to clean it for 2-3 hours. If you are cleaning the A380, the world's largest passenger aircraft, with a fuselage area of ​​more than 4,000 square meters, which is equivalent to cleaning more than 100 cars, the number of people and time required for cleaning will be correspondingly greater.

In addition, aircraft cleaning is a high-altitude operation, which requires the use of professional lifting equipment to clean the fuselage and vertical tail at a height of more than ten meters.

Image source: The Paper

In order to improve the cleaning efficiency, an automatic cleaning robot is also designed. It can be adjusted according to different aircraft models to complete the cleaning work on the aircraft surface, while improving the cleaning efficiency and reducing labor costs, it also avoids the safety risks of personnel working at high altitudes.

In addition to cleaning the fuselage, airlines also regularly use specialized equipment to clean the engines, removing deposits deposited on engine components and combustion deposits in the core engine, such as carbon deposits, to ensure that the engine's EGT margin (EGT margin is the difference between the maximum exhaust temperature allowed by the engine design and the actual exhaust temperature, that is, the safety margin under extreme operating conditions) can be maintained in good condition.

In addition, regular engine cleaning can also effectively reduce the fuel consumption of the engine. According to research, an A320 aircraft can reduce fuel consumption by nearly 20 tons per year by regularly cleaning the engine through data monitoring. (Click here to learn about "What fuel you spend and what oil you buy")

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In recent years, some engine manufacturers have developed engine-specific foam cleaning systems. This "bubble bath" method can more efficiently remove dust and stain deposits and save water resources.

Image source: Aviation Power Journal

Aircraft cleaning is not only about the appearance, but also about the interior.

Aircraft can quickly travel across regions and even across continents, so ICAO and various countries have made clear requirements for aircraft disinfection and internal cleaning. In addition, the cockpit, kitchen, small table, carpet and toilet facilities will be cleaned regularly, and high-frequency items such as seat covers will also be replaced and cleaned regularly to ensure a clean and comfortable cabin environment.

Image source: Xinhuanet

02 Where to take a shower on the plane?

Water washing needs to consider water supply and wastewater recycling, and the aircraft is usually arranged to complete the cleaning work in the hangar.

Dry cleaning can usually be done on the apron, and there is no requirement for the site. Some companies' aircraft often operate in high-salt, high-humidity and high-temperature environments (such as flights between islands), and the aircraft cleaning cycle will be relatively short, so it is necessary to build a special water washing apron to improve the efficiency of aircraft cleaning.

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Wait, some friends said that in winter, they would encounter the situation of taking a "hot bath" before the plane takes off. In fact, this is not a general cleaning work, but a safety protection measure taken to remove and prevent ice, snow, frost and other pollutants from adhering to key parts such as the wings of the aircraft during winter flights. Because these pollutants will seriously affect the aerodynamic effect and handling performance of the aircraft, and may even cause air crashes. Before takeoff, the captain will perform de-icing and anti-icing operations according to the actual meteorological conditions, which is the situation of the aircraft taking a "hot bath" that everyone sees.

Image source: Xinhuanet

What is used here is not a cleaning agent, but an anti-icing fluid (with ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, diethylene glycol and other polyols as the main raw materials). The anti-icing fluid mixed with hot water in proportion can ensure the rapid removal of ice and other pollutants on the aircraft. Different types of anti-icing fluids have different anti-icing protection time for the wing surface. The aircraft needs to take off within the effective protection time of the anti-icing fluid, otherwise it will have to be "washed" again to ensure safety.

OK, now the plane has been cleaned, please take pictures with your phone~

References

[1] Gong Yuhe, Wang Rongxiang, Zhang Bo, Chen Fengrong, Wang Caiwan, Chen Diyun. Research on cleaning efficiency of typical aviation materials in tropical marine atmosphere environment [J]. Environmental Technology, 2023, (10): 111-115.

[2] Zhu Ying,. Research on energy saving calculation method of aircraft engine water washing project [J]. Shanghai Energy Conservation, 2021, (02): 153-159.

Author: Guo Dong, a student of the first Science Popularization Star Charging Station at Shanghai Science and Technology Museum

Acknowledgements: Dr. Guo Weihong from Shanghai Institute of Technical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, provided scientific guidance for this article

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