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DuPont have a tech bulletin that shows skin temps
as a function of color (no mention of gloss as a factor). Their data show
that black is something like 80 to 90 degrees hotter when sitting in the summer
sun than white. Pale greens, pale yellows, and very pale blues were not
much different, but darker colors like Ferrari red and British Racing Green are
getting up there close to black.
The more prudent course, it would seem to me, would
be to confine dark colors to the underside or trim stripes, sticking with white
or a light pastel for the upper surfaces. We sat on the ramp at North Las
Vegas the other day with an air temp of +44C -- what do you suppose a black
plane would have topped out at?
Jim Cameron, N143ES
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