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...is this true?

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  • Member since
    November 2005
...is this true?
Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, October 7, 2010 2:49 PM

Someone told me that the yellow paint on the tips of some propellers you see were put on to prevent the black paint from sliding off when the prop was turning.  Is this true?

  • Member since
    June 2010
  • From: Austin, TX
Posted by DoogsATX on Thursday, October 7, 2010 2:53 PM

I always thought it was for safety, so ground crews could see it spinning and thus not inadvertently play "will it blend?" with their appendages.

 

On the Bench: 1/32 Trumpeter P-47 | 1/32 Hasegawa Bf 109G | 1/144 Eduard MiG-21MF x2

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  • Member since
    February 2003
  • From: Rothesay, NB Canada
Posted by VanceCrozier on Thursday, October 7, 2010 2:54 PM

I though the black was there to keep the yellow from sliding in.... Stick out tongue

On the bench: Airfix 1/72 Wildcat; Airfix 1/72 Vampire T11; Airfix 1/72 Fouga Magister

  • Member since
    February 2003
  • From: Rothesay, NB Canada
Posted by VanceCrozier on Thursday, October 7, 2010 2:55 PM

And by the way, Doogs nailed it, the spinning yellow should be easier to see!

On the bench: Airfix 1/72 Wildcat; Airfix 1/72 Vampire T11; Airfix 1/72 Fouga Magister

  • Member since
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  • From: Sarasota, FL
Posted by RedCorvette on Thursday, October 7, 2010 3:03 PM

I have a bridge for sale...

Mark

FSM Charter Subscriber

  • Member since
    February 2003
  • From: Rothesay, NB Canada
Posted by VanceCrozier on Thursday, October 7, 2010 3:07 PM

Is it a good bridge, I recently purchased some swampland in Florida, I may need it... Embarrassed

On the bench: Airfix 1/72 Wildcat; Airfix 1/72 Vampire T11; Airfix 1/72 Fouga Magister

  • Member since
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  • From: Austin, TX
Posted by DoogsATX on Thursday, October 7, 2010 3:18 PM

VanceCrozier

And by the way, Doogs nailed it, the spinning yellow should be easier to see!

In Soviet Russia, propeller see you!

/guess safety propellers were for us soft western pigs...

On the Bench: 1/32 Trumpeter P-47 | 1/32 Hasegawa Bf 109G | 1/144 Eduard MiG-21MF x2

On Deck:  1/350 HMS Dreadnought

Blog/Completed Builds: doogsmodels.com

 

  • Member since
    January 2003
  • From: Washington State
Posted by leemitcheltree on Thursday, October 7, 2010 5:03 PM

I thought they painted the tips yellow because they ran out of black paint...

Cheers, LeeTree
Remember, Safety Fast!!!

  • Member since
    February 2003
  • From: Northern Virginia
Posted by hutchdh on Thursday, October 7, 2010 5:07 PM

That is almost like when my small kids believed my Father when he told them honey is bee poop.

Hutch

 On the Bench: 1:48 HobbyBoss Ta152-C; 1:48 & 1:72 Hasegawa F-104G NATO Bavaria

In queue: 1:48 Academy F-4B & a TBD Eric Hartmann bird

Recently completed: 1:32 Trumpeter P-51B

  • Member since
    June 2003
  • From: Charleston, SC
Posted by orro on Thursday, October 7, 2010 5:33 PM

Manstein's revenge

Someone told me that the yellow paint on the tips of some propellers you see were put on to prevent the black paint from sliding off when the prop was turning.  Is this true?

Any prop blade that is painted will wear out starting at the leading edge, and will be notable after a couple weeks. Paint is paint and color don't matter. Wink 

Owen 

  • Member since
    April 2005
  • From: Piscataway, NJ!
Posted by wing_nut on Thursday, October 7, 2010 5:36 PM

Oy gevalt

Marc  

  • Member since
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  • From: Katy, TX
Posted by Aggieman on Thursday, October 7, 2010 5:39 PM

That is almost like when my small kids believed my Father when he told them honey is bee poop

Or when my little sister believed our uncle who told her, with the straightest face I've ever seen, that the chocolate milk she enjoyed so much actually came from a chocolate milk cow.

  • Member since
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Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, October 7, 2010 6:22 PM

hutchdh

That is almost like when my small kids believed my Father when he told them honey is bee poop.

You mean its not?

  • Member since
    February 2003
  • From: A Spartan in the Wolverine State
Posted by rjkplasticmod on Thursday, October 7, 2010 6:38 PM

Should get some sort of Award for the most stupid  Censored Post on the aircraft forum.

Regards,  Rick

RICK At My Age, I've Seen It All, Done It All, But I Don't Remember It All...
  • Member since
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  • From: The Redwood Empire
Posted by Aaronw on Thursday, October 7, 2010 6:44 PM

DoogsATX

 VanceCrozier:

And by the way, Doogs nailed it, the spinning yellow should be easier to see!

 

In Soviet Russia, propeller see you!

http://www.aviationartstore.com/images/photo_yak-3.jpg

/guess safety propellers were for us soft western pigs...

 

Actually you can find many photos of Soviet aircraft with unpainted propellers. Since they didn't paint the tips yellow the black paint fell off. Stick out tongue

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Actually the Soviets didn't paint the props at all early in the war, then just the back side to make the prop less visible to the pilot then finally overall black since at the right angle and lighting conditions the unpainted props could reflect light making it easier to spot by enemy aircraft. They did not adopt warning stripes until very late in the war, possibly even post war. I guess they figured the ground crew would figure out to stay away from moving props pretty quickly, that is not the kind of mistake you make twice. Ick!

  • Member since
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  • From: From Vernal UT OH YEA!!
Posted by raptordriver on Thursday, October 7, 2010 7:03 PM

Manny is just trying to make everyone mad cause he has too much spare time.

Andrew

 

 

  • Member since
    March 2007
  • From: Carmel, CA
Posted by bondoman on Thursday, October 7, 2010 7:08 PM

On the P-38 they had to switch the props every 100 hours, to get the paint even.

  • Member since
    November 2008
  • From: Jefferson City, MO
Posted by iraqiwildman on Thursday, October 7, 2010 7:32 PM

I think they wanted to use pink, but Gary Grant used it up on his submarine.

Tim Wilding

  • Member since
    July 2007
  • From: Southern New Jersey
Posted by troublemaker66 on Thursday, October 7, 2010 8:04 PM

As the comedian Carlos Mencia would say....DEE DEE DEEEEEBig Smile

Len Pytlewski

  • Member since
    June 2008
  • From: Iowa
Posted by Hans von Hammer on Thursday, October 7, 2010 8:04 PM

Betcha didn't know that the "corkscrew" paint on prop spinners that the Germans used here &there was against USAAF regulations...  People would be pulled towards the blades...

  • Member since
    June 2010
  • From: Austin, TX
Posted by DoogsATX on Thursday, October 7, 2010 8:07 PM

Hans von Hammer

Betcha didn't know that the "corkscrew" paint on prop spinners that the Germans used here &there was against USAAF regulations...  People would be pulled towards the blades...

Cheaper than bullets?

On the Bench: 1/32 Trumpeter P-47 | 1/32 Hasegawa Bf 109G | 1/144 Eduard MiG-21MF x2

On Deck:  1/350 HMS Dreadnought

Blog/Completed Builds: doogsmodels.com

 

  • Member since
    June 2010
  • From: Austin, TX
Posted by DoogsATX on Thursday, October 7, 2010 8:12 PM

bondoman

On the P-38 they had to switch the props every 100 hours, to get the paint even.

British planes had a warning light that would illuminate whenever the prop needed to be run backward to keep the paint on, but in the true spirit of British electrical systems, the light tended to malfunction and just stay on all the time. Most pilots came to ignore it, with tragic results.

15 RAF servicemembers and one Yorkshire Terrier were recorded as being wounded by sleeves of used paint slung from aircraft...

On the Bench: 1/32 Trumpeter P-47 | 1/32 Hasegawa Bf 109G | 1/144 Eduard MiG-21MF x2

On Deck:  1/350 HMS Dreadnought

Blog/Completed Builds: doogsmodels.com

 

  • Member since
    March 2007
  • From: Carmel, CA
Posted by bondoman on Thursday, October 7, 2010 11:48 PM

Hans von Hammer

Betcha didn't know that the "corkscrew" paint on prop spinners that the Germans used here &there was against USAAF regulations...  People would be pulled towards the blades...

Yeah then they were really screwed...

  • Member since
    May 2006
  • From: So.CaL
Posted by Dr. Faust on Friday, October 8, 2010 1:29 AM

Manstein's revenge

Someone told me that the yellow paint on the tips of some propellers you see were put on to prevent the black paint from sliding off when the prop was turning.  Is this true?

No, the only props that had even a hint of paint sliding were Hartzellos.

Dr

Just build it (and post pics when youre done)

  • Member since
    July 2004
  • From: Sonora Desert
Posted by stikpusher on Friday, October 8, 2010 1:38 AM

What about the navy's pre war tri color tips? was that like sand art while spinning?Hmm

 

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  • Member since
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  • From: Louisville, KY.
Posted by Cosmic J on Friday, October 8, 2010 3:48 AM

As everyone knows, the original color of the freshly manufactured props was yellow. The tips were left that way because that's where they held them when painting the rest of the prop black. As everybody knows.

  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Coldwater, Mich
Posted by MKelley on Friday, October 8, 2010 3:48 AM

Kind of reminds me of the time I heard my father tell someone that the contrails from jet airliners was the pilots putting their airbrakes so they could slow down to land.

  • Member since
    October 2007
  • From: Scotland
Posted by Milairjunkie on Friday, October 8, 2010 7:25 AM

Toward the end of WWII, with resources becoming scarcer by the day, the Luftwaffe did all they could to keep their remaining aircraft looking good. Of huge concern was the propeller, as this would be the first thing that the ever present allied bombers would see when they met them. Top official ordered that all fighters should maintain a pristine & shiny propeller as part of the propaganda war to convince the enemy that the defending Luftwaffe were in a better condition than they actually were.

With many of their bases in ruins & operating from makeshift facilities around Europe, it became ever more difficult for the ground crew to get their fighters into the (now non existent) paint shops for their weekly "prop paint". Some ingenuity was required to address the issue;

Suitably equipped ground crew, with a tin of black, a tin of yellow & two brooms (one marked schwarz the other marked gelb), restrained by a safety harness would approach the aircraft from the front;

 

Occasionally this would be carried out by civilian subcontractors;

At which point the chief would take over control of the operation, working with the engineer on-board to obtain optimum RPM for paint application;

The painter would then approach the spinning propeller & edge his paint soaked brush forward onto the prop disk, this process allowed the propeller to be rapidly painted, without the need of the paint shop, or even ladders (aluminum was in short supply).

 

Due to the prestigious post of "prop painting" & it's higher pay rate, sometime ground crew rivalry between the engineers & painters would get out of hand. This picture shows Hermann the engineer seconds before he applied full power in an effort to get rid of Wilhelm (the painter on his crew) & take over his position;

 

Hermann's efforts were wasted, as Wilhelm dived to the ground, safely avoiding the ensuing catastrophe. Unfortunately for Hermann, the extra RPM he demanded caused a substantial amount of black paint to be drawn through the propeller & sprayed toward him - amids the confusion Hermann didn't throttle back until it was too late;

(Note that the painters gazebo can be seen directly behind the aircraft).

 

It wasn't until near the end of the war that the Allies came to understand the rapid demise of the Luftwaffe, the air force that thanks to some clever painting had their enemy fooled, when they found a "prop painting rig" after capturing an airfield;

The drum of paint which the aircraft has run over seems to indicate further ground crew rivalry problems, as does the strengthened painters restraining frame.

Note that in the original uncensored picture that the painters gazebo is directly behind the left wing of the P-51.

 

In answer to the original question, yes it is 100% true that the yellow paint was used to stop the black sliding. Don't be fooled by props that appear to be all black, they still use yellow paint at the tip, but it has been died black for reasons of subterfuge.

Any aircraft industry insider will openly tell you that all propellers are actually painted black, with a yellow "slip stop" coating applied to the tips, they just some times appear to be white, silver or whatever because the black & yellow paints have been dyed for camouflage or cosmetic reasons.

Some smart *** on the A400M project for some reason attempted to "buck the trend" and make it's props in a bizarre black/yellow/black/yellow format. Rather that admitting defeat on this & having a regular prop paint format, they have added an extra 4 blades to each prop, put a kink in the blades & have even got some of the engines running in reverse - but the black keeps sliding off.

Note the painters gazebo at rear!!

 

  • Member since
    November 2009
  • From: SW Virginia
Posted by Gamera on Friday, October 8, 2010 7:47 AM

Well actually, most people know putting the plane in reverse gear allows it to fly backward. The second purpose for reverse that most don't know about is that it sucks the black paint back up on the props.

And by the way, regular milk comes from a white cow, chocolate milk comes from a black cow, and strawberry milk comes from a red cow. A farmer told me that so it has to be true.

 

And if anyone believes any of that I've got some fantastic ocean-front property in West Virginia that I'm selling really cheap.

And thanks Milairjunkie - am ROTFL now. Stick out tongue

"I dream in fire but work in clay." -Arthur Machen

 

  • Member since
    February 2003
  • From: Green Bay, WI USA
Posted by echolmberg on Friday, October 8, 2010 7:55 AM

I thought the yellow was added by the French,

Eric

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