Why are airplanes white?

It keeps the airplane and the avionics and people inside it cooler. It is
also reasonably visible under most conditions. If you wanted maximum
visibility on the ground, then you would paint the airplane the same color
as those blue tarps, but that might not work so well in the air.

Hampton NH airport is surrounded by pine trees. For years we had a J-3
painted in Grasshopper colors; you just couldn't see it against the
ground when it was in the pattern and you were overhead.

Finally it dinged its wing, and the airport put a white "invasion
stripe" on that wing. What a difference!

A while later it got dinged again. We were all sorry that it wasn't
the other wing, so it would have two invasion stripes, but it remained
a one-striper till it got sold down the river.

all the best -- Dan Ford
email: (put Cubdriver in subject line)

The Warbird's Forum www.warbirdforum.com
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"Cub Driver" wrote in message

Finally it dinged its wing, and the airport put a white "invasion
stripe" on that wing. What a difference!

Now that's what I'm talking about! White is fine but a little unnatural
color as a stripe or secondary color might make the aircraft more visible.

-c

White is a poor color for aircraft because it's hard to see except against
blue sky. Is there a particular reason it's so popular?

-c



White's the cheapest paint.

Iain

"gatt" wrote in message ...
Here in Oregon, where there is often white overcast and snow in the
mountains in the winter, there's a lot of white.

Here in the Midwest we have blue skies and green vegitation. White
shows up quite well.
--
Gene Seibel
Hangar 131 - http://pad39a.com/gene/plane.html
Because I fly, I envy no one.

"Gene Seibel" wrote in message
om...
"gatt" wrote in message
...
Here in Oregon, where there is often white overcast and snow in the
mountains in the winter, there's a lot of white.

Here in the Midwest we have blue skies and green vegitation. White
shows up quite well.

These are all great answers and thoroughly convincing as to why white is
probably the best overall color. If I was painting an airplane, I'd include
a stripe or something that would stand out against terrain. I like the
previous post about "invasion stripes." ANY EXCUSE TO PUT INVASION STRIPES
ON YOUR AIRPLANE IS A GOOD ONE! :

One of the '152s I fly went from yellow on white to candy apple red and gold
on white, with red wingtips and tail. It's hilarious, but pretty. The owner
decided he wanted a candy apple red airplane. Very easy to see now.

-c

Here in Oregon, where there is often white overcast and snow in the
mountains in the winter, there's a lot of white. It seems to me that
painting your aircraft white is akin to camoflage. Wouldn't it be better
if
airplanes were missile red, cub yellow, construction orange or some other
extremely-visible color?

Perhaps a better question is, why are most homebuilts white with trim? I
know the composite aircraft basically require it, but I see so many RV's out
there in the same boring-white-with-trim... standardization certainly isn't
an issue with them...

However, there's a G-200 out there with that color-changing paint...
http://www.airliners.net/open.file/387332/M/

On Fri, 16 Jul 2004, Bob Martin wrote:

However, there's a G-200 out there with that color-changing paint...
http://www.airliners.net/open.file/387332/M/

Very cool. Next time on of our Club's Cessnas comes due for a repaint, I'm
going to lobby hard to get this sort of paintjob on it!

Why should bizjets have all the fun?

Brian.

Brian Burger wrote:

Very cool. Next time on of our Club's Cessnas comes due for a repaint, I'm
going to lobby hard to get this sort of paintjob on it!

Better check out the price on that stuff first. I hear it's pretty expensive.

George Patterson
In Idaho, tossing a rattlesnake into a crowded room is felony assault.
In Tennessee, it's evangelism.

On Sat, 17 Jul 2004, G.R. Patterson III wrote:



Brian Burger wrote:

Very cool. Next time on of our Club's Cessnas comes due for a repaint, I'm
going to lobby hard to get this sort of paintjob on it!

Better check out the price on that stuff first. I hear it's pretty expensive.

grin Yes, probably. I'm sure that the next Club paintjob will be another
white-and-coloured-bits standard Cessna job, just like the two we had done
three or four years ago...

Still, a shimmery multi-colour 172 would be really, really cool!

Brian.