Cold war paint (day glo) chat

Nathan · **Posted:** Wed Apr 27, 2011 10:01 am

Just an overview so I understand this correctly:

-Day glo was a generic term given to high viz painted aircraft.

-The actual day glo was International Orange applied over a white base coat.

-When the International orange 'day glo' faded it made the scheme a bit yellowish in color.

-Arctic Red is more the color applied to the NY ANG C-130's.(I see these every year up close at Geneseo). Arctic red was apllied to aircraft that operated most of their time in Alaska and other arctic areas.

-Majority of the 'day glo' was removed by the early to mid 60's.

-Aircraft still operating in Alaska post mid 60's still sported arctic red.
:?:

Fouga23 · **Posted:** Wed Apr 27, 2011 10:22 am

Day-glo is RAL3024 or FS595-28915:
http://www.colorserver.net/showcolor.asp?fs=28915

Speedy · **Posted:** Wed Apr 27, 2011 10:32 am

There was discussion in the thread about how the day-glo paint faded with exposure. In the boat racing world there used to be a couple of teams that painted their hulls that same color...amazing 'pop' visually that you could never capture on film, but was vibrant in person. But they had to repaint 2-3 times per season because it would start to bleach out in the sun. Sponsor wouldn't have been very happy had it gotten to the condition of the nose of that Sea King!

Nathan · **Posted:** Wed Apr 27, 2011 10:34 am

Fouga23 wrote:

Day-glo is RAL3024 or FS595-28915:
http://www.colorserver.net/showcolor.asp?fs=28915

MY EYE'S!!!! :shock:

Nathan · **Posted:** Thu Apr 28, 2011 9:09 am

jwc50 wrote:

Nathan wrote:

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. :mrgreen:

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.

I think I learned some Hawaiian based C-124's also had the red tails. But differant styling. It read these were retired in 1974. I could not find any C-124 units assigned to Alaska in 1974.

jwc50 · **Posted:** Sat Oct 05, 2013 5:59 pm

To revive an older thread on one of my great interests - High Viz day glo/flourescent orange/international orange/Arctic Red/Insignia Red markings applied to U.S. Military aircraft........

I read somewhere recently that the orange markings that were applied to Air Force Transports and Tankers in the late 50's and which were largely removed after 1962 or so, were removed based on concerns generated during the the October 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. That possibly concerns about these aircraft being too easily visible by an enemy prompted the decision to remove them.

Does anyone know if the 1962 Cuban Crisis was a major impetus for this? Just curious.

Invader26 · **Joined:** Wed Aug 11, 2010 7:56 am **Posts:** 843

The RAAF used Day-Glo on C-47's, C-130A [on delivery], Winjeels, Vampire T35's, UH-1B's [silver and Day-Glo]. Sprayed over white and "clear" coated...was also applied in stick on sheets as well.
Always referred to in my time in the RAAF as "Day-Glo"...

Warbird Information Exchange

Cold war paint (day glo) chat

Who is online