High Vis Markings

Two personal experiences:

In one of my clubs, an ASK-13 was painted completely in bright orange. The only situation where this was really visible was in bright sunlight when flying slightly higher. In all other situations it just looked gray/black, just like any other sailplane.

During one alpine flight, with a green/brown backdrop (no snow) and with the sun in the back, I was surprised at seeing a series of white dots coming in my direction. It was a glider with a series of hi-vis stripes, approximately 50 cm wide, taped chordwise every meter or so on the leading edge. The white was decidedly more visible than the stripes...

With a snowy backdrop, bright orange markings are a welcome plus, but I prefer large markings at the wingtips rather than numerous small strips all over the sailplane.

I used to fly in a Janus with two classic white strobe lights, one under the nose in front of the nosewheel, the other on the back just behind the canopy. No improvement in visibility in full sunlight, but very visible when flying in the shadow of the clouds (cloudstreet, convergence). Not sure the new "LED" strobes would be as efficient, but certainly worth a try.

At 21:03 30 January 2016, wrote:
Two personal experiences:=20

In one of my clubs, an ASK-13 was painted completely in bright
orange. The
=
only situation where this was really visible was in bright sunlight
when
fl=
ying slightly higher. In all other situations it just looked
gray/black,
ju=
st like any other sailplane.

During one alpine flight, with a green/brown backdrop (no snow)
and with
th=
e sun in the back, I was surprised at seeing a series of white dots
coming
=
in my direction. It was a glider with a series of hi-vis stripes,
approxima=
tely 50 cm wide, taped chordwise every meter or so on the leading
edge.
The=
white was decidedly more visible than the stripes...=20

With a snowy backdrop, bright orange markings are a welcome
plus, but I
pre=
fer large markings at the wingtips rather than numerous small
strips all
ov=
er the sailplane.

I used to fly in a Janus with two classic white strobe lights, one
under
th=
e nose in front of the nosewheel, the other on the back just
behind the
can=
opy. No improvement in visibility in full sunlight, but very visible
when
f=
lying in the shadow of the clouds (cloudstreet, convergence). Not
sure the
=
new "LED" strobes would be as efficient, but certainly worth a try.

I think it is a common finding in this thread that almost nothing
increases the visibility of a glider approaching head on, in fact some
markings may reduce visibility. The frontal area of a modern glider
is so small so with no relative lateral or vertical movement they are
very hard to spot.
There is a way of mitigating the risk and that is to make regular
course changes to induce relative movement, the question then
arises if performance should be sacrificed for safety, I can already
hear howls of anguish at that thought.

On Saturday, January 30, 2016 at 5:45:06 PM UTC-5, Don Johnstone wrote:

I think it is a common finding in this thread that almost nothing
increases the visibility of a glider approaching head on, in fact some
markings may reduce visibility. The frontal area of a modern glider
is so small so with no relative lateral or vertical movement they are
very hard to spot.

The exception to that might be a forward facing narrow beam white LED strobe. Say a 15 degree cone.