Fred Baron writes:
> It is humorous how this same subject appears every few
> years and we read the same conflicting answers.
> My 320 has metallic silver-grey paint and has been happily
> flying since 1995. I received both audio and VOR signals from well
> over 100 miles.

The reason there are conflicting answers is because there are
conflicting results. Some have painted their plane with a metallic
paint and found that the radios worked fine. The original builder
of my 235 stripped off a layer of paint after discovering that the
radios no longer worked. The failed assumption is that all
metallic paints are the same. Instead there are conductive and
non-conductive metallic paints. There are also metallic paints
that become conductive after a few electrostatic discharges.

So if you want to paint your airframe a metallic color, test the
paint that you are considering. Or use what Fred used.


> The plane has been parked in the desert summer sun
> quite a few times with ambient temps over 100 degrees.Metallic paint is a
> NON-ISSUE.

One Lancair with metallic paint didn't melt in the sun. Therefore all Lancairs
with metallic paint are safe... Same logical fallacy.

> Worry about important things, like being a competent pilot.

Fred is quite right to suggest that piloting is more important than paint.



-bob mackey