-snips-
>By the way, does anyone have any info on the Germans using tire
>colors besides black? Eduard's SSW DIII instructions say to paint
>them pink. I've also come across an article that says that yellow was
>used as well. Which planes used what colors? Any chance of Fok DVII's or
>DrI's having weird tire colors as well?
Pink? I don't know about that but white, or rather, natural rubber is
fairly common with WW1 German aircraft - the color is, supposedly, what
ever color rubber is before you add the lampblack - I'm guessing kinda
an off-creamish grey color. I think the variation in tire colors was not
restricted to any particular manufacturer - as tires were a standard
replacement item, an aircraft which survived a month or two in the field
would have its tires replaced with whatever was available and if they
didn't match the 'factory-delivered' tires, so be it. I've seen a couple
photos where one tire appeared dark (black, or rather dark grey) and
the other light (white, or rather, natural rubber).
But, given that tires (tyres?) are the portion of the aircraft in most
intimate contact with the local landscape and most likely to pick up
dirt, mud, dust, stains, etc., I rather suspect that any color in the
very pale greyish to very dark greyish range would -not- be incorrect
for an aircraft as it actually appeared in service. Now, pink, I dunno. <gr>
Cheers,
-- Bill Shatzer - bshatzer@orednet.org -or- aw177@Freenet.Carleton.ca - "Most any experience from prison life is transferable to political life, since the same kind of characters inhabit both worlds." -Frank Peters-