Cold war paint (day glo) chat

[Nathan]

Just a few questions regarding time frame and day glow:

When did the U.S. start painting day glow on airplanes?

Some scheme like on C-133's and C-121's had a white top, NMF on the bottom half and day glow on the nose and forward of the tail. Just curious when this type of scheme was put on the planes and did all aircraft receive this type of scheme?

Being a big fan of day glow. It has always fasinated me with all the variety of aircraft in different day glow scheme. Just was wondering why there was never one a set scheme?

Also I found out that there are two day glows that have been applied to U.S. aircraft day glow orange and day glow red. Day glow red can still be found today on the NYANG C-130's.

Last edited by Nathan on Sat Dec 18, 2010 12:24 am, edited 1 time in total.

[JDK]

Just a quick reply, Nathan - 'Day Glo' is a company trade name, not a generic term for fluorescent paints (like the difference between 'Google' and 'internet search').

A couple of interesting links here: http://www.dayglo.com/who_we_are/our_story

http://www.nytimes.com/1997/08/29/busin ... gewanted=2

Raises as many questions regarding Nathan's question as it answers - intriguing though!

HTH,

[b29flteng]

I've always liked the paint scheme too ever since the early 60s when the Minnesota ANG C-97s had a "flame looking" day-glo paint scheme, with a white top.

[Nathan]

When did the white tops get introduced? They must not have stayed on for long. From NMF to day glow and white top, to day glow and NMF, back to NMF?

When did the white tops get introduced? They must not have stayed on for long. From NMF to day glow and white top, to day glow and NMF, back to NMF?

I love the Day-GLO paint schemes that were applied to many USAF aircraft from about 1957/58 up through about 1962 perhaps early 1963. By 1964 most of these day-glo markings were gone. The White Top Orange day-glo MATS C-124's and C-133's were classic. I think the white tops were introduced a few years before the day-glo was applied, but when the day-glo was removed in 1963/64, I believe the white tops went too, or within a fairly short time after that.

The Arctic/Insignia Red applied to some AF aircraft from the late forties through a lot of the fifties was a classic look also.

The Red/Orange markings seen on the NY ANG C-130's are among the few brightly marked aircraft seen in the Air Force today.

I love the colorful cold war schemes seen on many U.S. Military aircraft in the Fifties and at least part of the sixties.

[Nathan]

There is this photo I recently found of a C-124 at AMARC. It is in day glo and is out of place for the rest of the NMF C-124 fleet. I was wondering if anyone could tell me more about this airplane? I am guessing this airplane arrived at AMARC during the day-glo days while the others must have arrived in later years with the day glo removed(at least to the aircraft that recieved it). As far as I know not every plane had day glo.



BTW...I really really love this shot. I have another shot that must ahve been taken the same day of the -124 fleet at AMARC. This is the only one I have seen in the day glo.

There is this photo I recently found of a C-124 at AMARC. It is in day glo and is out of place for the rest of the NMF C-124 fleet. I was wondering if anyone could tell me more about this airplane? I am guessing this airplane arrived at AMARC during the day-glo days while the others must have arrived in later years with the day glo removed(at least to the aircraft that recieved it). As far as I know not every plane had day glo.

BTW...I really really love this shot. I have another shot that must ahve been taken the same day of the -124 fleet at AMARC. This is the only one I have seen in the day glo.

Nathan - I can't make out the shield/crest emblem on the tail, but I am wondering if this was one of the last Alaskan Air Command C-124's retired from service in 1974. I know the Air National Guard retired the last of their operational C-124's around 1973/74 and when I was in Thailand in 1974 I remember reading a small item in the AF Times newspaper that mentioned that the last operational C-124 had been retired by the Air Force in Alaska in June 1974. It would make sense that C-124's and many other AF aircraft in Alaska in the early to mid-70's were still carrying day-glo markings. And also the fact that this Globemaster does NOT have a white top and does not have the day-glo typical of C-124s in the late 50s/early 60s period which had an orange band around the rear fuselage, not the orange painted rear area of the vertical stabilizer. I may be wrong but that's my guess.

[Nathan]

Thanks!

I couldnt find anything on Alaskian C-124's.

It's nice to see a C-124 still in day glo markings! I love it!
http://www.flugzeuginfo.net/acimages/c1 ... tersen.jpg

[Fouga23]

Hate to spoil the fun, but at least that last one isn't dayglo! more like some kind of orange. Dayglo is sprayed over a layer of white and fades in the sun. RAL3024 or FS28915

[Nathan]

Hate to spoil the fun, but at least that last one isn't dayglo! more like some kind of orange. Dayglo is sprayed over a layer of white and fades in the sun. RAL3024 or FS28915

Please, explain why you think otherwise. Maybe it's day glo red.

[b29flteng]

Here are some C-97As from the NY ANG with the "flame" type arctic markings. The Minnesota ANG is the only other unit painted like this that I know of. Note the white top down to the window line.

I believe the C-124 is painted with fluorescent red, as fluorescent colors are hard to capture on film.

I remember seeing some of these where the fluorescent paint was faded and a yellow base coat was bleeding through, maybe that's why it looks orange.

Last edited by b29flteng on Sat Dec 18, 2010 11:27 am, edited 2 times in total.

[Second Air Force]

I agree with Fouga on the C-124 at AMARC. The red on her isn't dayglo but a "plain" red (possibly FS 31136) that still works well but doesn't fade nearly as rapidly. Dayglo must have been a real pain for the guys who had to apply and maintain it.

Scott

[Jarink1]

I'd always thought the "day-glo" paint was mainly for better visibility in the Arctic if the plane went down. Since a lot of the Cold War in the air centered on NORAD defense over the pole, it might make sense why it would be applied to planes assigned to that duty but not others. I've seen photos of several planes involved in test programs painted similarly where high visibility would be desirable, too.

The roots for that scheme go all the way back to the early '40s. There was one B-17 (38-215) that was painted first with yellow then later red tail, wingtips and cowlings that was part of a cold weather study in Alaska.

http://www.aerovintage.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=531&start=0

[The Inspector]

The Shakey is painted in Arctic Red which lasted longer than DayGlo. 124's operated through Elmendorf from Japan and McChord as well as from other units within the U.S. in support of the Viet Nam conflict. They also were TDY occasionally for DEW Line support.

[JBoyle]

I'd always thought the "day-glo" paint was mainly for better visibility in the Arctic if the plane went down.

No, Day-Glo was designed for anti-collision work.
After the Grand Canyon TWA/UAL Connie/DC-7 collision, the CAA went nuts on collision avoidance, the Air Force followed suit for transports and a few other types.
There was even a CAA proposal for all GA aircraft to have 25% of their wing (and perhaps fuselage) are be painted in day-glo.

When I was a kid at Richard Gebaur circa 1963-67 all the 124s were natural metal. However, not too old photos in the Base Guide and postcards at the BX showed them with day-glo, so it was taken off at some point (probably during PDM).

Last edited by JBoyle on Thu Dec 23, 2010 5:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.