Hi,
N6TQS wrote...
> This is not quite as far-fetched as it sounds. During WWII,
> successful experiments were done with dim lights shown onto the sides
> of ships to hide them in the dark. It was successful, since what was
> being spotted was the dark silhouette against the horizon. It wasn't
> practical for operational use, however. Another odd scheme used was a
> colour called "Mountbatten Pink", a slightly, but definitely, pinkish
> grey.
They found that flat black was NOT a good paint scheme for night
fighters/intruders
like the Northrop P-61 Black Widow and the night version of the P-38... it
resulted in
a visible "hole" in the night sky. Gloss black worked pretty well, though,
because the
glossy finish reflected a bit of the surrounding sky's appearance.
> The most useful thing that camouflage painting can do is break up the
> straight lines so that the observer can't easily see the shape of the
> object, so can't categorize it, and so tends to dismiss it. Therefore
> the actual color isn't as important as the irregular pattern.
Yeah. Remember the naval ships painted in what seemed to be absolutely GAUDY
angular patches and stripes? Up close, they drew attention to themselves. When
they were at some distance, they became next to invisible.
73,
George T. Daughters, K6GT
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