Aircraft dope is a plasticised lacquer that is applied to fabric-coated aircraft to tauten, stiffen, adhere and provide protection to the skin material. Examples of such doping agents include Nitrocellulose, Cellulose acetate and Cellulose acetate butyrate. Liquid dopes are highly flammable; nitrocellulose, for instance, is also known as the explosive propellant "guncotton". Dopes may include colouring pigments. Plasticizers are additives that soften the materials (usually a plastic or a concrete mix) they are added to. ... In a general sense, lacquer is a clear or coloured coating, that dries by solvent evaporation only and that produces a hard, durable finish that can be polished to a very high gloss, and gives the illusion of depth. ... An Airbus A380, currently the worlds largest passenger airliner An aircraft is any vehicle or craft capable of atmospheric flight. ... Nitrocellulose Nitrocellulose Nitrocellulose (also: cellulose nitrate, flash paper) is a highly flammable compound formed by nitrating cellulose through, for example, exposure to nitric acid or another powerful nitrating agent. ... Cellulose acetate, first prepared in 1865, is the acetate ester of cellulose. ...

External link

• http://www.auf.asn.au/scratchbuilder/fabrics.html A scratch-builder's guide to fabric-covered aircraft