New type Fabric Covering on Plane Resurrection?

[John Dupre]

Was just watching the Plane Resurrection episode on building a Fokker Dr. 1 Triplane. The builder is a German living in Britain working from American plans! They showed him beginning the covering process for the fuselage and the fabric he was using was already colored red. (He intends to duplicate von Richtofen's machine) This is new to me. So is this a new type of covering process? I was taught the old fashioned cotton and butyrate process at A&P school and have read about Ceconite and its variations. In those the fabric is uncolored and usually a neutral or natural color and then is given an undercoat and then a silver or UV blocker coat and then color or topcoat. In previous scenes the builder, a surgeon, talked about how his surgical skills with needles and sutures helped him in rib stitching.

[Kyleb]

Oratex is a relatively new covering process that already has color. It reminds me of the Monokote type products we use on R/C airplanes. It is attached by glue, heat shrunk, then mechanically attached (stitching, rivets, screws, etc.).

It doesn't look like traditional fabrics, but probably saves a LOT of time.

[John Dupre]

thanks kyleb