Reason Why Planes Are Painted White? When a fresh plane rolls out of the workshop, they are very often painted in a greenish anticorrosive paint. So that the plane can be fly or moved to the final assembly line and paint shop. Once the plane arrives at the paint shop, it takes approximately 34 painters working three shifts each day for 15 days to wash, repair, and paint the plane.
After six thousand working hours. They’ve roughly applied 1,100 kilograms of paint on to the plane and that procedure needs to be repeated every 7 to 8 years depending on the use of the plane and cleaning schedule. So after applying a minimum of 2 layers the plane gains a few more pounds to its dry operating weight. And even more it’s a third more colorful layer is sprayed onto it such as the logo etc.
Not all plans are white, yes there are plenty of colorful ones for example “Mango” an airline that operates in South Africa its planes are bright orange. The Hungarian based Wizz Air has planes that are partially painted bright pink and purple. And there’s the Siberian carrier S7 with their break green plains. But these are more of a rare exception. But the general rule goes like this “you’re better off painting your aircraft white”.
So there are some interesting reasons for their white color.
In summer the main reason people prefer white on a hot day is its uncanny ability to reflect sunlight. As Compare to dark colors that absorb sunlight and you quickly understand why you feel like you’re boiling on a summer day while wearing black. So just like clothing, aircraft manufacturers use white paint to keep airplanes cool. It minimizes the heating effect as well as the potential harm and danger from solar radiation. Planes have some parts made from plastics, carbon fiber, and fiberglass. Those things in particular need the most protection and safety from the blazing sun. That’s why all the control surfaces of the plane, along with the cone nose should always be painted white. White paint is 12 times more reflective than darker colors. So you could say that the airplane wears sunblock rather than a black t-shirt to protect itself from the sun.
Concorde, a French British supersonic passenger airliner was covered with a special extra reflective white paint. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have withstood the heat they generated when the plane flew at such high speeds.
The next reason for painting planes white is even more practical. Like a lot of things, it comes down to money. It’s just cheaper to have white-colored aircraft. You see all planes start out white when they’re made but what if an airline decides to paint bright yellow. Well first of all an additional layer of paint will add more than 1000 pounds of weight to the aircraft. More weight means more fuel burn and that can get pricey. The paint itself costs a pretty penny too, that is at least $50000 enough for $200000 to paint just one plane.
Also if a plane has some damage, such as a crack, dent, or oil spill, the white background makes it much easier to spot and repair the fault. Plus if the aircraft goes down in a crash happens, rescuers will be able to locate a white plain much faster. White airplanes all report by search rescue teams who find it easier to identify white airplane debris after a crash.
Additionally, airlines often end up selling the aircraft to other companies. And they will find it hard to do so if the color scheme is anything but white. Also, rumors have it that white airplanes are less prone to bird strikes as they are high in contrast compared to planes with colorful paint jobs.
