No rule, it's just for looks. Check out the red plane dean Funk did, that's true candy apple red. That plane glowed....

But it was difficult to see in overcast conditions. Not enough contrast on the top of the plane. Like Arch said, it was very cloudy at the Nationals this year. I took off, and when Arch got to me to call, he said "umm.....can you see that?" I said ".....................uh no.............." and so began one of the most interesting flights of my pattern career. (although I had a few interesting flights this year). The bottom line was if the wing was slightly dipped, I couldn't see it. So when I pulled or pushed, the plane rarely transitioned into a good vertical. And by the time I saw it off course, too late.

My advise: pick colors that are easy to see to begin with, and think contrast. On a cloudy day it turns black and white anyway, so what you see is the shapes and patterns. you need a lot of break in color and definite contrast. Draw your color scheme out on a piece of paper or on the computer, then walk back about 10 steps and have another look. Color schemes are an artforam unto themselves.

We all learn and improve. And for what it's worth, Dean learns faster than anyone I know. Wait until you see his new plane [8D] THAT one makes me drool.

-Mike