Photoluminescent Paint for Enhanced Propeller Visibility in Low-light Situations
Defense Holdings, Inc® (DHi) is now providing its patented AfterGlo® photoluminescent (glow in the dark) safety paint to the U.S. Navy, commercial aviators, domestic propeller manufacturers, and several military services outside the U.S. The aerospace and automotive-grade paint is applied to the tips of aircraft propeller blades, helicopter main and tail rotors, and other rotating objects to increase their visibility in low-light situations and thus help personnel to avoid injury or death from coming into contact with them. The initial application of this paint was on the Navy’s E-2C carrier aircraft to help save the lives of men and women who must work at night in the vicinity of rapidly spinning propeller blades and rotors on carrier flight decks where inadvertent contact can have deadly results. Potentially distracted by noisy, high-tempo flight operations, ground and flight personnel are inadvertently struck each year by propeller blades with inevitably tragic consequences. DHi’s solution combines a revolutionary, long-lasting, ultra-bright, non-radioactive photoluminescent paint to dramatically improve propeller blade. The application maximizes visibility, material adhesion, durability, wear-resistance and ease of installation without compromising propeller aerodynamic performance or aircraft detection. In battlefield conditions, greater visibility of propeller blades to ground personnel will help improve personal safety. Since the wavelength of the emitted light is outside of the range of IR Night Vision Goggles, use of the paint does not interfere with aircrew visibility or make the aircraft more vulnerable to hostile visual detection. The paint was developed under a Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) contract as part of the Navy’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. For authorized government buyers, this paint is also available through the DLA under NSN 6850-01-558-3002. Material Data Safety Sheets (MSDSs) can be found on  website.
Photoluminescent Paint Usage on Helicopter Rotors
DHi’s photoluminescent paint application maximizes visibility, material adhesion, durability, wear-resistance and ease of installation without compromising rotor aerodynamic performance. At night, improvised landing zones (be it a vacant lot, road intersection, or some other cleared area) are an immediate attraction to people of all ages. Fire fighters, EMTs and police security personnel often have their hands full and even they can get distracted around the helicopter trying to keep order. People need sensory cues to warn them away from spinning rotor blades. Defense Holdings, Inc. demonstrates its AfterGlo® brand photoluminescent aviation safety paint on a Fairfax County, VA police helicopter.
Photoluminescence
Our safety-grade photoluminescent paint is inert, waterproof, non-toxic, non-radioactive and can be charged over and over again. A full charge producing 8 or more hours of luminance on DHi’s AfterGlow® photoluminescent paint is achieved by exposing the photoluminescent material to:
3-4 minutes of ultraviolet (black) light, or
7-8 minutes of direct sunlight, or
21-23 minutes of fluorescent light, or
24-26 minutes of incandescent light.