A quick anecdote before I'm sent to bed.
Rumour had it that SF (and others) required the prop blades to be painted black,perhaps to match their T shirts
. Anyway, after testing it was found that centripetal force meant that the black paint slid off the ends of the blades. A fix was found by applying red and white bands across the blade tips to prevent this slippage. At a later date, the Design Authority informed the RAF that painting them black put them outside of the operational integrity of the blades. End result, the blades reverted to natural finish, complete with highly visible tips. Much to the chagrin of some operators.
Always a nice sight at night though.
Smudge
