Just read the news on BBC website - v sad, another tragic event. Thoughts and prayers for all the families involved.
From own experience, Grob Tutors in Lincolnshire AIAA much harder to see than black Domnies, Hawks, Tucanos etc.
T67M Fireflies use composites and were originally painted white but soon changed to Yellow uppers and Black undersides. Quite similar to 1930s Avro Tutor scheme:
File:Avro 621 Tutor.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dayglo patches used on motor gliders also helpful in a see and be seen environment.
Re-paint Grobs? Apart from additional weight (if not stripped and re-treated) and cost, the main paint issue is not so much a heat v structural problem on UK climate as to do with paint adhesion:
"Sophisticated composites are increasingly being used in aircraft. These are layered materials usually produced in casting moulds from plastic reinforced with carbon fibres and cured at relatively high
temperatures. Starting with fibre glass composites in secondary components, such as payload claddings and covers, carbon fibre composites are used in the main components such as aircraft wings, control elements and fuselage parts. These cast parts are contaminated by mould release agents which frequently contain
silicones. In order to ensure reliable painting these contaminants must be removed completely. Only then is it guaranteed that subsequent painting or bonding tasks will meet the highest standards of quality.
Activation brings about better
adhesion of paint:
Plastic surfaces in composites are often chemically inert since their long polymer chains have only low surface tension and possess no or only few functional groups. As a result of this they are difficult to paint adhesively. The ions and free electrons in the plasma beam cause nitrogen and oxygen to bond to the surface of the polymer so that functional groups such as –OH and –NH are produced. “In this way the plasma activates the surface by selective oxidation processes, discharges it and results in microfine cleaning. The rise in temperature of the plastic surfaces during treatment in this case amounts to ΔT < 20 °C. Activation of the surface takes place and this has a positive effect on adhesion”, declares Plasmatreat Managing Director Christian Buske.
In addition to cleaning, the reactive components in the plasma interact with the composite material and activate it so that it undergoes correct chemical bonding to the paint or coating system. This mechanism is the principal reason for the improved adhesion."
from
http://www.plasmatreat.com/downloads...technology.pdf