Mulling Colors....

[914PUTSCH]

I must admit I am and have long been a huge fan of the color orange, the brighter the better. This began back in my Air Force days in ADC (Air Defense Command and SAC), when survival theorists posited the belief that such high-viz colors (as International orange or Indian Orange survival apparel and gear) would markedly increase a downed airman's chances of being seen by a rescue chopper. At the outset, It certainly SEEMED to be logical and make good sense. Hence, parachutes had alternating C-9 canopy gores in white/orange; CWU-1/P Cold Weather flight suits and K2B flight coveralls were produced in Indian Orange, bright orange aircraft markings were common in the early 60s in Alaskan service, and life rafts also had visually distinctive colorations (although typically yellow, my other favorite color), etc.

Unfortunately, several subsequent decades of careful study of the efficacy of this 'high-viz' strategy revealed that the stats showed that very few if any downed aircrew rescues occurred because of these bright colors. Later, along came Vietnam and the emphasis shifted dramatically to NOT being easily spotted from the air, of course. The US Navy also came to the same conclusion (based upon trying to spot a downed Naval Aviator bobbing on the vast ocean's surface).

As far as my preference for bright orange as a civilian is concerned, as a mountaineer back in the 70s & 80s all of my mountain gear was bright orange, since bright colors are demonstrably better when one is half-buried in an avalanche than drab colors, and I still prefer orange on my automobiles. I have had several orange vehicles over the past 50 years, including a 1978 Honda Civic CVCC station wagon (named 'Buster'), a 1973 Volksie Standard Bug (named 'Brummel'), and a Porsche 914-6 (named "Putsch"). Even my orange Sierra Designs 60/40 Parka was a favorite for many years, on my college campuses (it did help attract the gaze of cute co-eds, admittedly). [And I'm also inordinately fond of Anita Bryant's favorite Florida fruit, too!]

If I could afford a new model Porsche Wunderauto in bright orange, I'd probably be first in line to submit an advanced order for one. Lamentably, though, my present finances have forced me to move in with a family of church-mice at a local house of warship (sic), so such bedazzling wheeled baubles are merely fanciful day-dreams...

The only thing I couldn't possibly be forced to do, vis-a-vis orange, were I ever to spend some time in my Da's beloved Eire, would be to join a tour through Northern Ireland behind the wheel of such a brightly painted (orange) Porsche. Sigh!