Stripey Aircraft

[NinjaBill]

Why do most of the light aircraft that you see around have stripes on the side?

It all seems so 1970s. What is wrong with having one colour all over, like mose cars seem to manage, it looks so much nicer on the rare occasions you do see it.

NB

[down&out]

If I could afford my own bird, I'd have in red with a white stripe
& move the rotating red anti-col from the tail to just above the passenger door
aka: Starsky and Hutch:O

[dublinpilot]

And why aren't airplanes now painted with those nice metalic paints that we like so much on our cars? Is it to do with weight?

[camaro]

Build your own via the PFA and you can paint it whatever coulour you like!:ok:

[LowNSlow]

It's because most light aircraft painted in all over white (or most other colours for that matter) look very bland and shapeless. The "stylists" who wanted to sell them decided that a cheat line along the side visually adds length to a stumpy (eg PA-28) shape. I tend to agree with them. I had an Aerobat painted with an arrowhead in red and blue flowing down the side and up the tail fin. Looked lovely until those 92mph winds flipped her over. :( :(

dublinpilot there are quite a few aeroplanes around with "unconventional" paint schemes. If you've seen pics of stiknruda's purple Pitts you'll know what I mean. RayBans recommended :cool:

camaro you can paint any aircraft any colour you like. The only rules apply to the size of the registration letters and their contrast with the background colour. Oh yes, and the obvious ones like don't paint over the windows, especially the front one :ooh: :ooh:

[stiknruda]

LnS

Thank you for the compliment! The paint scheme is known as the Gene Soucey starburst. Gene was an airshow performer in the States during the seventies and he and the factory devised the starburst scheme.

The factory still produce the S2C in starburst and the more usual colours are red/white black or yellow/white black.

Painting the aeroplane took me 3 months (elapsed) and it was a pretty full on job. Masking for the three colours took me in excess of 2 man weeks! My only major disaster was that I had finished the third colour on the last component, an upper aileron and whist unhanging it from the spray booth, I dropped it - it landed on a corner and broke.

So uncover, repair, have it inspected, recover, redope, repaint - another week goes by!

The paint is Courtalds FE102 which Airbus also use - though not in such a nice shade of purple! FE102 is a two pack polyurethane and once you have the knack it goes on very easily.

There were some Vans aircraft at the PFA Rally this year finished in the same stuff that TVR uses to give you a couple of different shades/colours. Automotive paint is okay on aluminium aircraft but needs a plasticizer/flex agent before it can be applied to fabric.

Stik

[topcat450]

:confused: I thought it made them go faster!

[LowNSlow]

My pleasure stik :ok: I thought the masking must have been a nightmare. I'm still building up to getting a run & orange peel free engine cowling!

I've painted bits of my Auster using plain cellulose and that is cracking in places where the fabric flexes. Should I have used a plasticising agent and if so, do you have any suggestions?

[Flyin'Dutch']

Yes you do and in the quantities as specified by the paint manufacturer, going a bit over is ok but too much and it will never dry!

FD

[Mike Cross]

I used to have a Beagle Pup 150 painted all over red with a silver stripe down the side. I always thought it would have looked nicer in the original colour scheme.

Red is a horrible colour to paint anything because it always fades (look at some of the red cars on the road)

Also any dark colour gets 'orribly 'ot in the sunshine.

Mike

[Penguina]

I always felt personally that 'planes that are mostly used for VFR flight should be painted black as a default, not white. I always see the military ones from miles off. But then I never thought of the heat aspect.

[stiknruda]

LnS,

I tend to use the paint supplier's own flex agent but often just use whatever I have to hand if it is a small job - in which case I add 10-15% by volume.

Stik

[NinjaBill]

SnR

can you post a pic of your pitts, so we can all admire the Gene Soucey starburst paint scheme

NB

[LowNSlow]

Thanks for the advice chasps, I shall consult with my paint supplier when I get back to Blighty.

[Floppy Link]

Stripes are good,
I'm putting stripes on mine! Invasion stripes that is...
Russell



http://www.espotlight.co.uk/gbtbi/listings/2.jpg

[Arclite01]

You can also add an additive called flow-tex or flow-rite as I remember which help the paint stay flexible for longer.

Stik is right though always a two-pack if poss as the cellulose based paints do go brittle quickly. They do however have benefits of making cellulose based doping repairs easier.

By the way also if your paint is losing its gloss you can always overspray it with a cellulose based laquer which is 90% solvent so dries off to give a great finish again and weighs very little.

Acrylic laquers are good too but usually need a catalyst to make them go off hard - but they look like glass (really sharp).

Heavy though.........

Enjoy

Arc

[down&out]

MC - Hmmm - good point about the red paint fading - I hadn't thought of that.

In that case, maybe I'd go for a natty, but a bit faded, combination of black & white instead. I could then affix an oversized public address loud speaker to the roof & write “serve and protect” down the side. Might not be too aerodynamic, but at least I’d be able to blast out “Stand by your Man” as I go by.

[LowNSlow]

Thanks for the info again chasps.

Atttention at Hadrian's Wall :eek: :eek:

Floppy Link is painting his P47 x 0.5 with Invasion Stripes :ooh: Expect under the radar attacks from small aircraft carrying large(ish) people :uhoh:

You after the Auld Enemy Russell :p

[AlanM]

Or just find some affluent "small business" and be a flying billboard!!

Piper (http://www.airliners.net/open.file/293138/L/)

PA28 (http://www.airliners.net/open.file/013955/L)

maybe Danny could sponsor someone!

[TheKentishFledgling]

Was asked to post this by stik....

http://www.eludlow.flyer.co.uk/stripey.jpg

tKF

[stiknruda]

tKF - thanks chum, you youngsters are so good at technology!!

Ninjab - the pic is v dark (must have left the negative in the solution too long!) but top wing (and bottom) show Gene's influence.

Aerobatic aircraft generally have different schemes top and bottom so that judges can count the exact numbers of rolls!

If I can build an aeroplane - you lot can!!

I've had the loan of a 2 seat Pitts this w/e and have taken a couple of non-pilot friends up for a loop and a roll - none got as far as tKF (can we do an inverted spin?...) but I really think that everyone should have the opportunity of seeing the world from upside down. Makes all those silly meaningless things pale totally into insignificance!

What you doing next w/e, Ed?

Stik

[TheKentishFledgling]

stik,

Check your email!

tKF