Hard to see?

[Phil 9]

I like the look of this colour scheme and I thought I could use it on a model. my only doubt is the blue might make it difficult to see

I would be using dark blue profilm

[Trevor Rushton]

Phil, that is a very attractive scheme; not dissimilar to one that I adopted for my Mick Reeves Gangster. I used dark blue for the underside of the wing and blue/white to the top surfaces. Sadly, it did not last long; I lost orientation on a grey day. Don't know if it was down to colour or simple ineptitude (probably the latter) but my replacement was yellow! I would think twice about repeating the blue scheme but a more experienced pilot may fare better.

There is quite a lot about colour and contrasts on the internet including work on full size aeroplanes

Trevor

[The Wright Stuff]

My honest opinion?

Go with the blue and white, and just be careful with orientation until you get used to it. Red and yellow are the easiest colours to see, but there are rather a lot of red and yellow models around.

I fly mainly in the evenings, and one of my models is an USAF T-28 in all over grey. It does take a bit more concentration during turns, especially when far away, but it's a good skill to have. Personally, I find that all colours (including yellow) look grey in silhouette on a sufficiently grey day...

To be honest, at the end of the day it's a personal choice for you, based on eyesight, time of day you normally fly, the type of flying you do, and your experience.

[Jon Laughton]

Just add a really good contrasting colour to the underside that will show up well in poor light conditions - then you will know the model's orientation..? I use day glow orange Oracover in small quantities for that...

[Phil 9]

I did used to have one of these but I guess the red flashes helped a lot. I did plan on making the underside solid blue with some stripes like I did for my extra

[Phil 9]

I think blue and yellow underneath should work well and still look smart?

[The Wright Stuff]

That reminds me, I need to go to Ikea later!

[Chris Walby]

IMHO, Its all relative and depending on sky conditions, colour scheme of model and speed.

I have a hurricane that just turns into a silhouette at the nearest hint of poor light (not surprise really) and my FF 109 that's great until you get it to full speed and that does the same! but then it is going quite fast

Web has interesting articles specifically regarding model RC planes and their recognition by the human eye, but as I have found there are limits (with my eyesight at least) and in the end its back to your personal assessment of risk (not safety as that is a given) but how much the model cost and likelihood of damage.

The FF 109 cost little and so I am prepared to push up the risk of losing orientation than I would with the hurricane. One day I might do the FF 109 in camo or silver as an experiment, but I think I know how it will end!

[Phil 9]

Posted by The Wright Stuff on 16/08/2017 10:18:11:

That reminds me, I need to go to Ikea later!

Thanks that has put me right off the blue/yellow combination.  I might try cream stripes so it wont look as garish

But thanks for the comments and I think I can make the blue work. I did consider just using the same pattern but using red and white but there are an awful lot of red and yellow models on the flight lines

 

Edited By Phil 9 on 16/08/2017 10:42:59

[Jon Laughton]

Without doubt the models in my fleet with yellow and dayglo orange stand out the best...

[cymaz]

Can't miss this

[Jon Laughton]

Yikes! I'll fetch my sunglasses!

[The Wright Stuff]

It's not just the colour though that the eye picks out at distance. It helps with visibility, yes (good for high-flying gliders) but not necessarily with orientation.

Just as important for orientation is the contrast between adjacent colours, and (most importantly in my view) the 'direction' of the pattern. Lots of ARTF models have stripes that run along the length of the wing on the top surface, and across the wing on the lower surface.

I would love to know if that was based on any solid theory!!!

Chris, I know just what you mean about the Hurricane. Perhaps it's a function of the wing shape looking similar at different angles, but judging turns is much more difficult than with other models, for some reason.

[Peter Miller]

I like a very dark colour underneath with big white areas such as squares as they stand out even in the gloom. The top can be anything but lihter to distinguish between top and bottom

[cymaz]

Has anyone noticed that the RAF Hawk trainers ( at Culdrose,Cornwall, at least) are black with a stripe? Apparently that's easy to spot....here

Edited By cymaz on 16/08/2017 13:10:47

[Devcon1]

By coincidence I've just sprayed the underside of the wings, tail and fuselage of my MPX Heron blackish with light brown highlights and light grey patches to improve high altitude visibility.

I've struggled on a few occasions to see it whilst thermalling but have always been able to see the much smaller Buzzards (or similar as I'm no bird expert) etc above the model in the same lift, if it works with them.......

Looking forward to putting it to the test.

Edited By Devcon1 on 16/08/2017 13:22:39

Edited By Devcon1 on 16/08/2017 13:23:50

[Don Fry]

I've got a blue/ white low wing trainer, a Maracana, wot I use as a hack. In anything other that fine weather, orientation is a mess, best to remember where it should be from your inputs, and shape in sky. Not a trainer scheme.

[Philflyer]

I agree with Don. I had a blue and white Sebart Shark for one season. Great in the sunshine but lost it on a grey windy day in the winter. I only do high vis now.

[PatMc]

I flew one of these for a couple of years the fact that it's currently awaiting repairs & a re-cover has nothing to do with any visibility problems.

Above pic lifted straight from Pete B's 2011 blog.

[i12fly]

Personally, blue is fine no problem, but white tends to disappear into the mirk on anything other than a bright day. Must remember to avoid it in future. Generally I think Peter Miller is right (he's built a fair few!), dark underneath and light on top

[Geoff S]

Our cycle club colours are blue and white. The original scheme was a blue jersey with a broad white stripe across the chest because they were easy to make by sewing different coloured cloth before fabric printing made things easier. It's surprising how well it stands out. When we were touring and I had permission to climb at my own speed I found it easy to look back and see where my wife was because the white showed up against the darker blue.

I think the most important thing for visibility is contrast. Although when I was buying film to cover my trainer and asked what would would be best for visibility another customer remarked "It doesn't matter, youth (I was 55!) they all look black in the sky". Actually that customer became one of my instructors.

Geoff

[Capt Kremen]

I have a FMS Yak-54 in typical sponsors display colour scheme of mainly Red & Blue.

Lovely, but it all but disappears once it goes beyond 'prop-hanging' distance!

[John Bisset]

I agree with Geoff that contrast matters most of all. After yellow training bands, the RAF used to use dayglo orange for trainers, then red/white for conspicuity.

Tests showed that neither stood out as well as all black, which is why the RAF's trainers are painted gloss black now.

I use a medium blue and yellow swept back scheme on my motor glider to ensure reasonable contrast - that is especially on the wings, so that when head-on another aircraft will see blue - white - blue - yellow in contrasting stripes. Reports from others suggest it works.

For models, since we are at fairly close range, I use strong contrasts with different styles top and bottom so that I can get a 'way up' picture. Again blue/yellow or blue/white works best for me Red/yellow looks pretty but is nit quite so good. 'Which way up?' picture gets harder as I get older!

[Chris Walby]

The article I read which is only as good as the doctor who wrote it said at distance colour is not registered in the eye/brain, but perceived colours are as shades in the grey scale.

So his theory was to pick colours at either end of the colour grey scale spectrum (from memory red and yellow are as far apart as you can get).

The interesting bit is when you mix a light colour with a different dark colour, but they are very close in the grey scale. Looks good close up, but at distance the colours looks the same!

There was a comment in cycling circles a few years ago regarding large block patterns on cycle shirts that break the shape up of the person, hence its becomes difficult determine what the object and its distance. Even if you know the model and the pattern it will become difficult because of an irregular pattern.

The conclusion was "sun rise" on one surface and a regular (block) pattern on the other side as the sun rise gives orientation.

Perhaps a poll on how did you "loose" your last model...

[Bob Cotsford]

Posted by Chris Walby on 17/08/2017 16:25:34:

...

Perhaps a poll on how did you "loose" your last model...

Easy - couldn't distinguish the green camo top surface from the grey underside flying low on a cloudy day, banked left when I should have banked right! White and silver also seem to be bad colours, anything but a bright blue sky and it disappears. I had to add dayglo patches on my 362 delta so that I can see it head on.