Hi guys, so I'm starting this thread in hope that I can see some High Visibility Paint scheme that work really well on DS gliders. As you might know I'm building a wing right now for DS and need some ideas for paint, so lets see them.

http://www.fancy-tapes.co.uk/store/product/6-0/

This was something I suggested elsewhere as a possible aid to visibility.I haven't tried it as yet,but intend to use some on a slope plank I'm building.

I have used fluro spray paints with a clear coat over the top but do be careful as some clear coats react with the fluro paint

Dynamic Soaring Glider High-Visibilty Color Scheme Bible

Both of these are very high vis schemes, but the D60 is better.
I discovered that a matte finish flouro orange is more visible at all angles,
where any sort of clear finish causes the wing and fuse to disappear due to reflecting the
sky or ground behind the plane at low angles. Can actually see it in the first photo.
Notice that the original clear coat "black", isn't black, due to the reflection.
The difference is especially noticeable when the plane is rounding the bottom turn toward the pilot,
which is the most critical moment. I can see the leading edge and nose of my D60 much better than *any*
other plane in almost all lighting conditions. I've even contemplated spaying my Wizard DSX the same way.
It's just hard to bring myself to do that on such a shiny plane, but I know it'll be a lot more
relaxing to fly fast, if I can see it better.

BTW, this is just rattle can flouro orange, that I sanded matte with 600 grit paper.
It doesn't hurt the airfoil. The finish feels very smooth.

ian

I reckon it is as much about maximizing the contrast and the size of those blocks on the wing colours as the actual colours used. The contrast of ground or sky will then show the light or dark contrast panels.

Worst gliders to see I have ever owned were one colour top or bottom with no contrast stripes. At distance coloured tips were really a waste of time too. So give me some broad contrasting stripes I guess

Forgot to mention earlier, one huge no no, is lateral stripes. They will make your wing look smaller.

And yes, our eyes mostly see contrast, but one must be mindful of your background
for that reason as well.
For instance, yellow and blue on top of the wing (a particularly annoying color
scheme of the Opus MC3) means you'll lose the blue against the sky and yellow
against dry vegetation or haze on the horizon. We flew a yellow/blue Opus to 280mph
at Parker on an otherwise perfect day, and could literally only see half the wing
on each end of the circuit. Wasn't really ready for a 54 inch wing at 280mph.
Sometimes blue is used on the bottom of the wing and people
argue that shadowed it "looks black" against a blue sky, but fact is, you'll see a
black bottom wing much further away than a blue bottom wing. Of course, everyone's
got their personal preferences, but we've proven several times at Weldon
that a little bit of flouro orange or pink on the wing goes a long way toward faster speeds.

ian

I just added some flouro pink solarfilm to the original orange of my D80, having been surprised by the plane's lack of prominence against a combination of snow & winter vegetation, albeit in murky winter air.

Have resisted a while marring the original scheme, but had to act as it was difficult to follow portions of both bottom turn & upleg last time out.

Fashionistas will remind me it's a really clashy combination, which indeed it is, but surprisingly less so than the flouro orange solarfilm I almost used.

A discussion of best colours for DS on rcg a few years ago favoured pink, & I've been using it since to good effect.
Always with a degree of contrast.

May have to succumb to glasses soon....

Here's a the color configurator for the K2mDP that you can play with to visualize different schemes for contrast effect. Kind of fun...

http://www.scanpaintprint.at/Kinetic...figurator.html

Woah, that is cool Spencer.

No floro pink!

Originally Posted by Stupot46

http://www.fancy-tapes.co.uk/store/product/6-0/

This was something I suggested elsewhere as a possible aid to visibility.I haven't tried it as yet,but intend to use some on a slope plank I'm building.

I do not think reflectives are a good idea. They only work a small percentage of flight. I have played with some of them and was totally dissapointed. They reflect what is around them so they tend to dissapear. They may "flash" when everything is just right but that has only helped me a few times.

Originally Posted by A10FLYR

I do not think reflectives are a good idea. They only work a small percentage of flight. I have played with some of them and was totally dissapointed. They reflect what is around them so they tend to dissapear. They may "flash" when everything is just right but that has only helped me a few times.

On reflection(sorry)you're probably right,especially at the speeds you guys are looking for.

No flouro pink, indeed!
Que pasa?

Reflective type material, I agree (tried a few) is not of much benefit in the circuit.

But it can be a lucky locator if the plane has been lost through the ceiling & reappears in the far distance (inevitably somewhere behind the ridge....) & a rare bit of sunshine catches it.

Sent from murky UK.

A mate over in Cheltenham even tried strobe lights after losing a nice glider when the fog rolled in....that didn't work well either