Bob

I've studied the issues surrounding airplane visibility for years and have concluded that there's no easy answer, as the variables affect each person differently.

Color scheme is part of it - contrast is good, both to the sky and between the individual colors on the airplane, but the ideal varies with the individual. A plus in flying / judging at the Nats is that one gets to study the visibility of lots various color schemes.

Unfortunately, the ideal scheme may change with varied light conditions. Changing ones perspective to the sun angle can make a huge difference, like flying E-W vs. N-S for instance. Of course, the usual gambit of sky / cloud / light conditions have a big effect also.

After years of trying various Ray-Ban, Serengeti, Oakley, etc. sunglasses in various shades (for both flying and shooting) I've found that having a range of lenses in different colors allows me to best adapt to the situation. Presently I use ModelGlasses as they have lots of clip-on lenses available in their model / aviation / golf / fishing lines from which I've selected a few that work pretty well for me. Prices are low enough to allow for lots of experimentation.