shd3920

Hi, I am new to this group. [sm=cool.gif] I have loved this great hobby for over 30 years (since I was a child watching my father and his friends), but only been building for about a year, and I have yet to complete an airplane enough to actually fly it. Unfortunately my father has recently disassociated himself from this hobby but my inspiration has grown. Attached you will find an untouched photo of what the framework looks like now, and a retouched photo of what my Great Planes PT40 may look like with the color scheme I have in mind. I am using a coverite fabric material and pretty soon I am going to be doing the paint job. I have been playing with my Microsoft editing tool in Windows XP to try to come up with a color scheme. This is what I came up with. What do you think? What should I have for graphics? (stars or stripes or maybe both) Any input in this matter would be greatly appreciated, give me your insight on what would make my first actually completed plane look great. I hope I am steadier with a spray can than I am with this paintbrush program. Please email any time to chat or maybe share some ideas. [email protected]

txaggie08

you want different colors on the bottom or top of the wing.....helps with orientation...

red head

A blue star burst on the top only. Where you will be flying the bottom is going to turn dark anyway. ENJOY !!! RED

SteveGB

Try the following link:

http://www.ultimatecharger.com/color.html

shd3920

OK txaggie08 (or anyone else with an opinion), if the top of the color scheme was to look as it does in the pic, what color would you have the bottoms of the wing. Can't have blue because then there would be too much blue on the model. How bout just keep the bottom of the wing yellow but have blue stripes and/or star bursts on the top of the wing and stabilizer, with yellow graphics on the fin? Or would that be too many graphics for a trainer? All opinions matter please.

rlipsett

yellow and blue look very similar at altitude on a overcast day. they turn to shadow and it is very hard to tello one from the other with a quick glance. You need a bright color to off setthe dark color on the bottom. white bottom wings with red stripes look good. I also try to have some equal contrasting patterns on the top but I make sure the stripe run about 90 degrees to the bottom so that orientation can be percieved even though all I can see is a pattern difference but then again I fly 3d a lot and sometimes the plane comes out of a manuveer in unexpected attitudes and headings. A trainer does not need as many visual cues on it, so white with red invasion stripes work well in my opinion

RCVFR

My Feedback: (7)

Colors are important, but pattern is at least, if not moreso. Example, many schemes use some form of spanwise pattern on top of the wing and chord wise on the bottom. Doesn't require a lot, just enough for orientation to let you know if you are looking at the top or bottom of the wing. Functionally, simple, bold patterns are best. Sometimes folks get carried away with complex checkering or other busy patterns that are neat up close, but tend to dissappear at altitude. Keep it simple. Best of luck.

shd3920

Sorry, please be patient with me, I am new at this and need all the advice I can get. Here's the choices I think I should use: 1) How bout white wing and stabilizer with blue fuselage and fin? With red stripes and stars as the graphics. 2)Or maybe have the wing and stabilizer white and the fuselage and fin red. With blue graphics. 3)Or as my model supplier advised me - red fuselage and fin with yellow wings and various color graphics. 4) Or white fuselage and fin with red wings and blue graphics. Any ideas you may have please share them. Which idea would you use for the color scheme? Or if you have your own to share please let me know, I am getting ready to paint it and want my first completed model to look great but also look good in the air. Please advise.

eaglelope

Tigerdude,

You probably have a really good reason for using Coverite and paint. If so, you can ignore what I'm about to say.

Why not use something quick and easy like Monokote on your first plane? You indicated that you've been modeling 10 years but still haven't flown. There's a really good chance that your PT40 is going to pick up a few dings while you're training so I wouldn't worry too much about making it overly pretty.

Regardless of what you use to cover, patterns are more important than color. Like Jim said, I've found that colors tend to look the same on hazy days but patterns will still be discernible. I'd suggest putting some nice big stripes or stars on the top of your wing and leave the bottom solid so you can determine orientation easily.

Mark

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

Tiger. What the oters are trying to tell you is, it doesn't matter so much WHAT colors you choose. What is important is Contrast.

A Wing that is all one color is... Well, if it's a light color like yellow or white, it's hard to see against the sky, and if it's a dark color, you'll see it well against a bright sky, but it's hard to orient.

Narrow stripes, or small graphics won't be seen either, so major trim schemes need to be BOLD (Like 6" wide stripes)

Here are a few examples of what you can do with blue and yellow

shd3920

Actually eaglelope, that was an error on my part. I have corrected that statement in my beginning post to this thread. I have been enticed by this sport for about 30 years since I was a child watching my father, and I have only grown fonder of this hobby through the years. I have only recently got back to this great hobby and only been building for about a year now [I have tried before about 3 years ago but gave up the hobby due to difficulties] but have never finished a plane enough to fly it (hopefully that will change real soon with the completion of my PT40). Thank you so much SteveGB for that website address. I looked it up and saved a copy to my computer. I have decided that I am going to copy the design (more or less) that was pictured in that article. Thank you oh so much every one else for your wonderful and greatly helpful advice - It was very much appreciated. You all are the greatest. Can't wait to get it going now.

martno1fan

how about a checker board affect on underside using those two colours?.

SoonerAce

My Feedback: (1)

Starburst on top wing and stab. and one side of rudder. Two large Daimonds, parallelagrams, on the underside of wing,,,,,,,,and 8 inch dots down bottom of Fuse.........abit gaudy, but you will have a hard time losing orientation......Red and Pearl White Monokote,Ultrakote.

shd3920

Well, I have been playing with my photo-editing tool again in Microsoft Windows, and my decision has finally been made. I am taking the advice of having large stripes going diagonal across the tops of the wing and stabilizer/elevator (pictured below). I like the contrast of the red and white on top with the dark blue underneath. The fuselage will be devided as shown as well as the fin/rudder. More or less this will be my design, what do you think? I can't wait to get this great trainer covered - I am going down tomorrow to get the rest of the Coverite, paint and iron-on film for the graphics and get it finished finally. I am also going to get my next project (my Goldberg Skylark 56) off lay-away also. Any of you know anything about this Skylark that I should know about? Any info will be greatly appreciated. Thank you all so much for your valuable information and suggestions to this thread. You are all great and so is this great hobby.

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

I really like it, but I would recommend some white on the underside. Once that plane is in the sky (and the conditions are right) that red and blue bottom will turn to black.

Why?

You need to remember how your eyes work. When you look at something dark - like a dark room - your pupils dilate to let more light in, now if someone turns on the lights, you're temporarily blinded until the pupils contract again.

The opposite happens when you look at something bright, like the sky. Your pupils contract letting LESS light in. Now put that small dark airplane in that big bright sky and all you see is a black silhouette.

Have you ever seen a picture of someone who is indoors, but standing in front of a window where the person in the picture is too dark, but the grass and trees outside are seen clearly? This happens because the camera (like your eyes) has adjusted itself for the bright light that is entering the lens. It doesn't know that it is supposed to let more light in to see the small dark object.

These two pictures explain exactly what I an talking about - So add a BOLD white band so you'll have some contrast - You'll be glad you did!

txaggie08

another option is stick on trim monokote. its basicaly sticker material. you could put some brightly colored stripes on the bottom for a little contrast. bright red or neon green helps me

shd3920

Thank you so much MinnFlyer and txaggie08. I am taking your advice and adding bands of white stick on trim monokote to the underside of the wing and stabilizer/rudder. This is an error on my part and I should have seen the obvious. Thank you again. Do the bands (pictured) look OK, or should they be diagonal like the top of the wing or straight as is so that it is a different design from the top, I think it should be a different design myself for the bottom but what do you think?

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

You're on the right track, but this would be better. The reason is, if your wingtips are white, they will essentially disappear making the plane look smaller and, in turn harder to see.

D Bronk

Maybe this D.B.

ECM

I've got a PT-40 as well. Here's a picture:

WARNING: BIG PICTURE!
http://home.off-road.com/~mithrandir...pt40_ready.JPG

I covered mine in white and yellow long before I ever flew anything and knew nothing of contrast & visibility. The bottom of the wing is solid white - no stripe. Sometimes you can see the stripe and ttell you're looking at the top of the wing, and sometimes you can't.

It's not a big problem for me - The PT-40s wing is high enough that it's position relative to the fuse can USUALLY tell you which side is up. Plus my current contact lenses give me 20/15 vision. That helps quite a bit more than any color scheme.

I don't notice it enough to run out and change it, but if I were doing it for the first time all over again I would definitely be paying attention to what these guys are suggesting.

shd3920

I am confused again. I went to my RC dealer today and he tells me that blue on any part of the plane will blend too much with the sky on a clear day, and that white is extremely bad on the bottom of the plane also. So what I did today is buy some yellow and red spray paint and those are the colors I am going to be using. I am keeping the design above but instead of white and red it will be yellow and red and I am keeping the diagonal stripes as pictured. The fuselage and fin/rudder is staying the same except yellow instead of white. Can someone suggest a design for the bottom of the wing and stabilizer/elevator preferrably using the yellow and red paint I already purchased or suggest a nice color besides whites, blues or greens? My hobby supplier recommends all yellow underneath with the red and yellow on top would be good and easily seen from below. I didn't realize this decision would be this difficult for me, but once I understand color coordinations it will get easier so I hope. I really hate to keep this thread going as it is, but I am continuosly told something different from both sides, and I appreciate it all and you all are correct I am sure but I want to find something that makes me comfortable. Plus anything I can be told about the Goldberg Skylark 56 would be greatly appreciated. I openned the box today and found alot of small loose pieces that I was not happy with, and I wasnt too happy about it not coming with an instruction manual (the short instructions they do supply are written on the plans themselves, and I already had to repair two pieces that were laying loose in the box. Is this a nice plane to fly and handle or am I in for some unhappy surprises. I am going to do a thread throughout my building process so that if I need opinions or help along the way I can explain easier to you fellow members and maybe give some suggestions along the way. I really love this group site and would like to get more involved with it in the near future. Again thank you all so much and please help me with a design for the bottom of the current plane and I promise not to bother you all too much in the future.

rambler53

My Feedback: (494)

That PT-40 has so much dihedral, I doubt very much you will ever lose orientation as it rarely ever will be inverted for long, and it's moving so slow, what are you going to miss? It's a school bus in the sky, you won't be needing contrast in color as much as you think. Light bllue is a bad color for any plane, but you showed a dark blue, which won't blend in with the skies I've seen. I have a dark blue and yellow Scat Cat that flies fast and often inverted, and a bright red X is on the underside of one wing and I've yet to notice it unless I'm flying low and close. I first notice if the low wing plane has the wing higher or lower than the fuselage and in the heat here in FL, I fly at dusk, when visibility of the plane is next to nothing. It's gray to me. This is what you'll see first before any color at a distance, which you shouldn't be flying far away anyhow. That wing is a V, look for it. Stabilizer colors do little for me. The contrast of pattern applies more to stunt planes, not as much on high dihedral wing trainers.

Focus on a very good CG. Coverite is a bad choice on a trainer as stated before, Monokote it for reduced weight and less time investment because patching tips will be your next post.

I have a Four Star 60 that's in bright neon yellow and orange, and I can see it at dusk hundreds of feet away. Coverite and paint is not the answer for any trainer.

Don't forget your CG. Range test your equipment on the ground before flying. Check your controls and servo binding. These are your primary concerns to getting more than one flight out of this trainer. Are you taking it solo or to a club with a buddy box?

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

The guy at your hobby shop is... How can I put this in a nice way? An IDIOT

LIGHT blue can disappear as can white, but DARK blue will not. You NEED to have a combination of Dark and light on BOTH SIDES of the plane with each side very different from each other.

Look at the pics below.

the first pic will show you why BOLD stripes will show up at a distance where Narrow stripes won't.

The second and third show a Dark, Light, and Contrasting color plane against a light sky on a clear and hazey day

The fourth shows the same against a dark background like trees or mountains

and the fifth shows good top/Bottom difference.

You last color scheme (With my reversion) is your best. I would go with that if I were you.

shd3920

Here it is, my final choice for the bottom design. I am going against my supplier's opinion and going towards yours, MinnFlyer. Here is my final decision. I am keeping the red and white photos previously pictured above, and this dark blue coloring. I have to now exchange the spray paint I purchased for the white because I tried the yellow out in my Microsoft program and did not like the way it looked so I am sticking to the white. Thank you all so much for your help. I am counting on you to be equally helpful with my new project, my Skylark 56.

rambler53

My Feedback: (494)

Send pics of the finished work.