this post was submitted on 04 Nov 2024
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No it's not at all.
It's literally an aluminum sheet, it will slice your hand open.
One of the most common uses is when you remove something like a fairing or a panel, to access something else, when you put the panel back on there are gaps between them. They are not structural, but it does hurt the aerodynamics of the plane, affecting the fuel mileage and cosmetics.
The solution is sealant in the panel gaps, this helps prevent moisture from seeping, and improves aerodynamics.
The issue is that the sealant takes a long time to cure properly, and when it isn't fully cured, it will splatter everywhere (I've seen this happen). A common scenario as an example is, putting the final panels back on after an inspection, it's nighttime in the winter, the sealant isn't curing, instead of the plane sitting idle for 48 hours while sealant cures, you can just put speed tape over it, the tape holds the sealant in place while it cures and then mechanics can take the tape of after it's fully cured.