S3eker

I'm finding that I must rebuild another RV-4 wing this winter and instead of covering it all white, I plan to use a different color on the bottom side of the wing. Now when it comes to flying, what are your experiences when balancing looks and visual tracking potential when covering your planes? Do you prefer perhaps one stripe on the right,left? Is that an aviation standard or known accepted best practice? I'm curious on what you all think. I haven't found this topic "covered" yet. Pun entended [8D]

Mode One

I like contrast between the top and bottom of the wing. Light on top, dark on the bottom or vice verses. Maybe something solid on the top and stripes on the bottom, doesn't matter, just something different which then indicates the top from the bottom. I've found white undersides to be difficult to see in certain conditions, as is sky blue. However, white or sky blue with a contrasting large area at the tips is good also.

Scale airplanes are basically limited to what the full scale plane is like, from my point of view. Your view may certainly be different!

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

Ditto, I usually like light colors on top and dark on bottom - But I avoid something different on one wing as opposed to the other.

beepee

I avoid white altogether. Got one now that just disappears at some angles.

Bedford

eroc144

My Feedback: (1)

For non-scale planes I like light/bright on top and dark on bottom - it gives good contrast with the sky when viewed from the ground and is a huge assist in quicly telling how my plane is oriented. For stripes, I'm not good enough to tell what my plane is doing based on multi-color, multi-stripe, sunrise / explosion patterns. I don't use them very often, and if I do it's usually a single narrow stripe on one wing.

In contrast, my warbirds are painted per the full-size plane. They're much harder to track at quartering angles and when doing aerobatics.

EG

Gray Beard

My Feedback: (-1)

My stunt planes all have dark stripes on the wing and stab bottom, my fun fly planes have A dark solid color on one bottom side and my scale planes are what ever the full scale was. The reason for the half wing dark on the fun fly planes is because they spin so fast stripes don't help me much. When I see the dark half I know when to stop.
Being color blind I need all the help I can get!!

S3eker

Thanks for the replies. Based on your advice, I think I'm going with a darker bottom on my RV 4 wing. I have been considering a checkered pattern. The fuse is white and hard to track at times.

sigrun

As has already been said, contrast between top and bottom can assist orientation. The convention, for sound reasons is light on top, dark underneath. Forget finessing with a stripe/checks/different colour on left/right wing. Anything like that is purely decoration for your appreciation on the ground.

For people with poor eyesight, fluoro orange or green on top and navy/black underneath is unmistakable ...unless colour-blind perhaps?

Lots of contrasting schemes work well, but [link=http://www.rcuniverse.com/magazine/article_display.cfm?article_id=240]one that I find among the best that works for me[/link] I discovered through its implementation on an ARF. It was a deep semi-opaque red overall, with 2" blue and white stripes running chordwise underneath the wings. I fully understand why they did it in such a scheme. Both aesthetically attractive and functionally unmistakable. The model rolled at such a phenomenal rate, it was difficult enough to orientate sufficiently to stop precisely on line as it was. It would have been impossible without such a strong visual cue. Another scheme I've seen which is stunning for unmistakable orientation is that used on the Great Planes Matt Chapman CAP 580. It also happens to [link=http://www.mattchapman.com/homepage.htm] replicate the full size original[/link]. It looks visually stunning in the air, and serves equally for superb orientation.

If you prefer to stick with simple and plain, yellow or white on top with navy or black underneath works well.

aeomaster32

What really helps, is a large black stripe under each wing, against a lighter colour. The stripe should be 6 to 8 inches wide right in the centre, front to back. The top should be plain colour of your choosing. The stripes are easily comprehended and a great comforter if you are unsure of the attitude.