Yes the headline is a stretch, but an interesting story none the less.
A laminate that protects NASCAR racecar windshields from rocks and debris will soon give extra protection to Army helicopters flying in Iraq and Afghanistan.Wonder if the Army will also adopt the NASCAR practice of "adding a round of wedge" for helos as they enter an "LZ?"The Army’s Aviation Applied Technology Directorate at Fort Eustis, Va., started testing the concept in March and just got the green light to begin applying the Mylar polyester coating to the windshields of operational aircraft.
Nathan Bordick, an engineer working on the project, said the Army borrowed the idea from NASCAR, where teams have been applying multiple layers of the peelable coatings to vehicle windshields for years to resist cracking, chipping and scratching. Periodically throughout a race, pit crews peel away a layer, leaving a clear, undamaged windshield for the laps ahead, he said.
Field tests on Black Hawk and Chinook helicopters showed that the coatings, which cost about $100 to apply, could significantly extend the life of aircraft windshields, which run $3,000 to $5,000 apiece, Bordick said.
Cross posted @ Full Throttle.
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