[n86121]

I drilled down pretty deeply on all options.


While gray smoked “looks cool,” and perhaps more modern,
at dusk and night it reduces contrast significantly.

Having done a LOT of dusk and night flying,
and lots of experience in low light, and Washington DC summer haze,
And 20+ years of hatteras mist,
smoked wasn’t for me.

The USAF and others have studied it in depth.

As I recall, and may have posted elsewhere here,
the light green tint is best for contrast against blue or gray skies,
and has the least impact at night..

I went with the DE LUXE solar tint on the outer side windows.
The inner windows are just straight clear.
Cheap enough to buy from GLAP
vs buying plexus and having to screw around w getting them cut.

What I noticed was indeed, moving my hand in sunlight from behind clear windscreen to solar shield side windows was ..amazing. Confirms less IR heat and UV getting through.

Great Lakes aeroplastics have a spectrum analysis somewhere.

I went with same DE LUXE on the windshield, light green, same reason.
Having neither inclination or time I went to a premier local shop to install the windscreen.

The shop told me they must have out it in and out 20 times to get it just right.
Which is what I’d heard was involved.

I had last done it 25 years ago.

While not “cracking” in the traditional sense
Modern plexi (even 1990s) is natural gas and inert
Even to UV

What it DOES do eventually however, over time, is release internal stress
by forming micro cracks within the material, visibile in offset sunlight.

I think all in, all the side and inner windows were around $5k,
and the front windscreen another $5k installed. YIKES!

Won’t have to touch them again until I am around 100 years old.

Other tip from high end auto restoration shops. Do not use a cover.
Just grinds stuff into plexi.

Mine sat outside Washington DC and Hatteras NC in summers for 25 years.
Corrosion x the airframe every few years, as preventative.
No covers.
No corrosion.

I also cheat by tying down facing north.
Angle of solar incidents is behind the aircraft vs direct.
Also leaves wings tilted toward winter sun for earliest natural defrosting.

The airplane was painted 10 years ago by the same shop I had to the windscreen.
Top notch. Planecare in Hagerstown MD.

Had some of the blue redone, as clear coat was fading.
Went to one step to avoid further issues.

When avidyne suite installed had it huffed up.

Looks like it just came from the factory.