[ARC5] Silly questions ? Again.

[Roy Morgan]

At 10:57 AM 8/20/02 +1000, Ray Robinson wrote:
>Hi gang,
>
> > As if to confound us, the blasted station jack boxes for the Navy's WWII
> > RL-24 interphone amplifier are unpainted aluminum...though they *are*
> > nicely clear anodized, which gives perhaps even better protection to
> > salt spray.  Some decisions we will never understand, I guess.
> >
>My understanding is that some radios were visible in the clear canopies
>(like the Avenger and Dauntless and some fighters) mounted behind the pilot
>so the black was to remove reflections,

This could be a good thing to do.  Reflections from the inside of a canope 
could well cause trouble --- like not seeing an enemy aircraft as soon as 
possible.

>  why were Mustangs in the European theatre
>unpainted (the whole aircraft) and left as raw aluminium?

Two reasons for polished bare aluminum finish on aircraft are:
  - lighter.  The paint even though thin, adds weight to the thing.
  - faster.  The polished aluminum is more slippery to the air going 
by.  Top speed is higher, and fuel used at any speed is less.

Roy



>Regards
>Ray
>vk2ilv
>
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- Roy Morgan, K1LKY since 1959 - Keep 'em Glowing!
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