Originally Posted by
By George
In the book Red Eagles by Steve Davies, recording the secret testing of various Soviet fighters at Tonopah, he quotes a Major Thomas Drake, who apparently had the highest number of flights on the type, (294) "on every sortie that thing tried to kill me". I guess testing the corners of an aircraft's envelope is not the same as a well-rehearsed airshow routine, but it does indicate the aeroplane had its quirks.
Looking over a few Soviet jets in the past they do seem to have an agricultural look about them. Why do our Russian cousins paint their cockpits that ghastly dog vomit green? On a Boeing conversion course many years ago it was explained that Boeings then habit of painting their cockpits brown was to make it easy on the eye. I preferred the 727 battle-ship grey myself!
Wonder what the Soviet reason is for greenish blue?
The cockpits were painted turquoise because they thought that it was the most restful colour on the eyes for the crew.