Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10 UW 5/3/83; site uw-beaver
Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!harpo!floyd!vax135!cornell!uw-beaver!eric
From: eric@uw-beaver (Eric Jul)
Newsgroups: net.aviation
Subject: Aircraft colors.
Message-ID: <716@uw-beaver>
Date: Fri, 22-Jul-83 20:06:27 EDT
Article-I.D.: uw-beave.716
Posted: Fri Jul 22 20:06:27 1983
Date-Received: Sat, 23-Jul-83 05:02:47 EDT
Organization: U of Washington Computer Science
Lines: 18

Fiberglass sailplanes are almost invariably white to protect them from
the sun's ultraviolet light.  Normally, fiberglass starts breaking down
(chemically) at 70 degress Celcius and above (158 F).
In Denmark, all sailplanes are required to have anti-collision paint on the
tips, tail, and nose.  If you are ever caught out in the hot midday sun with
a glassfiber ship with anticollision paint on the tips then try to fell the
quite significant temperature difference between the colored part and the
white part.
The Finnish PIK factories tried to break the White syndrome when they
introduced the PIK-20 back in the mid-70's.  The first prototype
was yellow.  The result was that it had to be covered whenever it was not
flying! - They quickly abandoned the idea - Fiberglass and sun just do not
go together.

In Northern Sweden which is extensible covered by forest and is uninhabited
it is required that all aircraft have very distinct screeming orange paint
on something like 30% of the aircraft.  The reason is Search & Rescue.
-- eric             uw-beaver!eric     or    eric@washington (arpa)