| Submit your comments on this article |
| -Short Attention Span Theater- |
| THE WAY THINGS REALLY WORK: Pink Fighter-Bombers |
| 2004-01-30 |
| Couldn’t pass this one up .... [grin] During the Iraq war, army and marine helicopters were all over the place, and troops had plenty of opportunity to see both types. You could easily tell them apart. The army choppers are painted dark green while the marine helicopters are painted "Haze Gray" One thing everyone noted was that the marine helicopters were always harder to see. If a marine and army helicopter were flying close together and approached you from a distance, you would always be able to pick out the army chopper first. The marines changed the color of their helicopters after the Cold War ended, when they realized that their most likely opponents would be looking up at them, not down from the sky. For protection from enemy aircraft above, a green paint job gives you more protection. But from below, a gray paint scheme works better to hide you. Deciding what color to paint aircraft has always been a contentious issue. Many different color schemes have been tried over the years. At one point, the U.S. Air Force ran some extensive tests and concluded the color that best hid an aircraft in flight was a shade of pink. The results of this effort were never implemented. for some unfathomable reason .... ROTFLO |
| Posted by:rkb |
| #18 Raj. I thought that someone would want to see it. It's days away. Merkx had a very set jaw and his facial image is as distinct as a 57 chevy, very challenging. If I can get a decent digital of it I will post it. But I'm not much of a photographer when it comes to good lighting. BTW I do pop into your site every now and then. I've met Eddie a few times (twice) and he's a really good guy. Very approachable. |
| Posted by: Lucky 2004-1-30 11:08:01 PM |
| #17 I'd never be able to shoot 'em down JFM... altho the Mick... said when drunk... swing at the one in the middle. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-1-30 7:05:09 PM |
| #16 I have a better idea: make aircraft and helos in the sahep of elephants and then paint them pink. |
| Posted by: JFM 2004-1-30 5:46:28 PM |
| #15 During WWII the desert tan paint appiled to USAAF aircraft in North Afica would often fade out to a light shade that is almost pink. I think thats where the pink P40 comes from. perhaps the weirdest sounding idea is to visibly camoflage aircraft from the ground you put lights on them. The idea is to even out the difference in the light of the sky above the plane and its shaded darker underside. |
| Posted by: Cheddarhead 2004-1-30 5:42:30 PM |
| #14 Just finnishing up a small painting of the great Belgium cyclist Eddie Merkx. Man, Now that does surprise me! Jeez... we have to keep France viable for the Tour. The cannibal, Yes! |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-1-30 3:34:09 PM |
| #13 Lucky - I'd appreciate a pic. of that if it's possible. The Cannibal Lives! |
| Posted by: Raj 2004-1-30 2:58:25 PM |
| #12 Thanks Shipman, I also find blue will help gray stand out. Just finnishing up a small painting of the great Belgium cyclist Eddie Merkx. Man, getting a face to look like a face takes some eyesight away. |
| Posted by: Lucky 2004-1-30 2:39:55 PM |
| #11 Visit Kalamazoo, Michigan's Air Zoo. There is a Pink P-40 Warhawk that is really cool. |
| Posted by: Jim K 2004-1-30 2:03:28 PM |
| #10 Lucky... consider how similar gray and pink are..... a 10 percent magenta 10 percent black CMYK mix.... looks gray, dial in a little more magenta and you get a morning skyline, throw in angle of lighting and it even more confusing. BTW I had you pegged for an artist. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-1-30 1:48:54 PM |
| #9 Angie, the Air Force had a green, brown, black and gray on top and sides. With a white belly(Speckled Trout'or 'NATO')camoflage paint scheme on their aircraft through the 1970s and into the 1980's. It's recently been changed to a solid matte gray. Somewhat similar to the Navy's 'Haze Gray', which works very well above an overcast sea! |
| Posted by: Jack Deth 2004-1-30 1:41:15 PM |
| #8 I KNEW someone would remember Riptide and the Screaming Mimi. |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2004-1-30 1:17:13 PM |
| #7 When I were a wee girlie I put together some model airplanes, including an F-15 that was molded of sky-blue plastic. You were supposed to paint white clouds on it. I always wondered why this paint scheme wasn't implemented in reality. Or even better, a blue-bottomed, green-topped paint job (similar to fish camouflage). The pink paint probably forms an SEP (Somebody Else's Problem) field. "This cannot possibly be a pink B-52. I am hallucinating. I believe I will leave this to someone else to deal with." First identified by Douglas Adams. |
| Posted by: Angie Schultz 2004-1-30 1:17:02 PM |
| #6 Riptide! |
| Posted by: Unmutual 2004-1-30 1:01:14 PM |
| #5 Good looking airplane. But with that contrast it will stand out as it moves. |
| Posted by: Lucky 2004-1-30 1:00:49 PM |
| #4 I've always enjoyed this pic of a Me-109 over the desert. As long as you're flying over rocks and sand, it probably worked pretty well! |
| Posted by: Dar 2004-1-30 12:52:24 PM |
| #3 Operation Petticoat. |
| Posted by: Anonymous2U 2004-1-30 12:47:29 PM |
| #2 One of my few talents is that of a fine artist (in my mind anyhow) I've painted many Civil War scenes and let me tell you, getting the gray to pop is tough. You have to mix in warm color and deep contrasts. Light dull shade with no color works well in most instances. Adjust color then to fit the actual invironment. The pink has me scratching my head. |
| Posted by: Lucky 2004-1-30 12:46:36 PM |
| #1 Wonder if it's that same shade of pink that supposedly calms down prisoners. |
| Posted by: Desert Blondie 2004-1-30 12:26:57 PM |