Why are airplanes white?

On Nov 5, 7:03 pm, "Gatt" wrote:
"Jay Honeck" wrote in message

ups.com...

Automobiles, motorcycles, boats -- you name it -- all come in a
rainbow of colors. Why are 99.5% of all planes (except for some cool
old classics and some neat homebuilts) white?

So they get lost in the snow when they crash or something. I've wondered
the same thing. There was an article in some magazine about that that I
read after avoiding a camouflage ultralight flying out of Estacada.
(Whoever flies a camouflage ultralight in Oregon is a clueless and total
asshat.)

The thrust of the article, which was written by a S&R pilot, is that
civilian airplanes should be cub yellow, flourescent orange or even hot
pink...whatever it takes to -not- blend in with the water, snow or forest if
you crash.

-c

I qualify for the flourescent Orange one.... In fact Ray Charles just
called to say he could see my plane. :)))

Ben
www.haaspowerair.com

Automobiles, motorcycles, boats -- you name it -- all come in a
rainbow of colors. Why are 99.5% of all planes (except for some cool
old classics and some neat homebuilts) white?

That's easy - airplanes are white because white is the least expensive
color of paint! Duh.

-- Dane

On Mon, 19 Nov 2007 09:21:37 +0000 (UTC), Bertie the Bunyip
wrote:

"Roger (K8RI)" wrote in
:

Sound of an afterburner at full tilt from a 1000 watt amp in the
bottom of the wings to add effect when you fly between the house and
garage. :-))



A geriatric delinquent, eh?

Hey! I ain't quite THAT old!

Roger (K8RI)


On the flight before or after that (I forget which) I took a wait list
as we got out of class early. (I should have stayed another day and
partied with the rest of them) . One seat farther back on the DC-9
and I"d have had a private room. You had to move one row forward to
have a window and seat backs that reclined. Even then the view out
their window was of the side of the engine.

I always thought DC-9s were smooth and quiet. Back there it sounded
like a Gray hound, felt like a gray hound, and smelled like a gray
hound.



Ugh. I hate positiioning. I do a fair amount of it. Complete and absolute
**** from beginning to end. My own line is OK since I just go to ops and go
out with the crew, but if I have to go on another 'line it's the whole nine
yards, plus, since I'm often in uniform, you have a thousand people asking
you stupid questions at airports you know nothing about, and the alwya
clever "shouldn't you be up front" when you sit down next to someone. I try
to disguise myself when I can.


Bertie

On Mon, 19 Nov 2007 07:18:44 -0800 (PST), "
wrote:

On Nov 5, 7:03 pm, "Gatt" wrote:
"Jay Honeck" wrote in message

ups.com...

Automobiles, motorcycles, boats -- you name it -- all come in a
rainbow of colors. Why are 99.5% of all planes (except for some cool
old classics and some neat homebuilts) white?

So they get lost in the snow when they crash or something. I've wondered
the same thing. There was an article in some magazine about that that I
read after avoiding a camouflage ultralight flying out of Estacada.
(Whoever flies a camouflage ultralight in Oregon is a clueless and total
asshat.)

The thrust of the article, which was written by a S&R pilot, is that
civilian airplanes should be cub yellow, flourescent orange or even hot
pink...whatever it takes to -not- blend in with the water, snow or forest if
you crash.

-c

I qualify for the flourescent Orange one.... In fact Ray Charles just
called to say he could see my plane. :)))

Jack Yoder's "Cotton Candy", a hot pink GP-4 did stand out. Look at
the satellite images of Oshkosh. There is no trouble at all telling
if he was there when they shot the image.


Roger (K8RI)

Ben
www.haaspowerair.com

"Roger (K8RI)" wrote in
:

On Mon, 19 Nov 2007 09:21:37 +0000 (UTC), Bertie the Bunyip
wrote:

"Roger (K8RI)" wrote in
m:

Sound of an afterburner at full tilt from a 1000 watt amp in the
bottom of the wings to add effect when you fly between the house and
garage. :-))



A geriatric delinquent, eh?

Hey! I ain't quite THAT old!

Well if you grew up listening to Big Band music...

Bertie

Bertie the Bunyip wrote:
"Roger (K8RI)" wrote in
:

On Mon, 19 Nov 2007 09:21:37 +0000 (UTC), Bertie the Bunyip
wrote:

"Roger (K8RI)" wrote in
:
Sound of an afterburner at full tilt from a 1000 watt amp in the
bottom of the wings to add effect when you fly between the house and
garage. :-))


A geriatric delinquent, eh?
Hey! I ain't quite THAT old!

Well if you grew up listening to Big Band music...

Bertie


HEY...we aren't THAT old!!! Wait a minute while I ask a few of our old
fellow pilots when it was Roger and I started out flying.......
"Hey WILBER...........HEY ORVILLE???? Need your opinion on something!!!!!"

--
Dudley Henriques

Dudley Henriques wrote in
:

Bertie the Bunyip wrote:
"Roger (K8RI)" wrote in
:

On Mon, 19 Nov 2007 09:21:37 +0000 (UTC), Bertie the Bunyip
wrote:

"Roger (K8RI)" wrote in
:
Sound of an afterburner at full tilt from a 1000 watt amp in the
bottom of the wings to add effect when you fly between the house
and garage. :-))


A geriatric delinquent, eh?
Hey! I ain't quite THAT old!

Well if you grew up listening to Big Band music...

Bertie


HEY...we aren't THAT old!!! Wait a minute while I ask a few of our old
fellow pilots when it was Roger and I started out flying.......
"Hey WILBER...........HEY ORVILLE???? Need your opinion on
something!!!!!"


He heh. One of my instructors had his licence singned by Orville. I don;t
think he evr met him, but Orville was the head of the CAA at the time and
signed everyone's licence.
Chet was real old even whne I flew with him. He used to fall asleep on me.


Bertie

Bertie the Bunyip wrote:
Dudley Henriques wrote in
:

Bertie the Bunyip wrote:
"Roger (K8RI)" wrote in
:

On Mon, 19 Nov 2007 09:21:37 +0000 (UTC), Bertie the Bunyip
wrote:

"Roger (K8RI)" wrote in
:
Sound of an afterburner at full tilt from a 1000 watt amp in the
bottom of the wings to add effect when you fly between the house
and garage. :-))

A geriatric delinquent, eh?
Hey! I ain't quite THAT old!
Well if you grew up listening to Big Band music...

Bertie

HEY...we aren't THAT old!!! Wait a minute while I ask a few of our old
fellow pilots when it was Roger and I started out flying.......
"Hey WILBER...........HEY ORVILLE???? Need your opinion on
something!!!!!"


He heh. One of my instructors had his licence singned by Orville. I don;t
think he evr met him, but Orville was the head of the CAA at the time and
signed everyone's licence.
Chet was real old even whne I flew with him. He used to fall asleep on me.


Bertie
I was at Flying W one day when Bob Cummings came in. If I recall, his
license had Orville's signature on it.

--
Dudley Henriques

Dudley Henriques wrote in
:

Bertie the Bunyip wrote:
Dudley Henriques wrote in
:


He heh. One of my instructors had his licence singned by Orville. I
don;t think he evr met him, but Orville was the head of the CAA at
the time and signed everyone's licence.
Chet was real old even whne I flew with him. He used to fall asleep
on me.


Bertie
I was at Flying W one day when Bob Cummings came in. If I recall, his
license had Orville's signature on it.



I think everyone from a certain period had it. Late twenties early
thirties, I guess.
I'd like to have met him. Love that Bob!


Bertie

Bertie the Bunyip wrote:
Dudley Henriques wrote in
:

Bertie the Bunyip wrote:
Dudley Henriques wrote in
:


He heh. One of my instructors had his licence singned by Orville. I
don;t think he evr met him, but Orville was the head of the CAA at
the time and signed everyone's licence.
Chet was real old even whne I flew with him. He used to fall asleep
on me.


Bertie
I was at Flying W one day when Bob Cummings came in. If I recall, his
license had Orville's signature on it.



I think everyone from a certain period had it. Late twenties early
thirties, I guess.
I'd like to have met him. Love that Bob!


Bertie

This is a repost of an earlier post about the same answer as before. For
some reason the first one hasn't shown up. If it does, just disregard it.

Cummings was a first rate guy. He flew into Flying W in a Beech 18 and
Bill Whitesell sold him an Aztec. The Beech was a fine looking airplane
inside and out.
Cummings took us over to the Valley Forge Music Fair where I shared a
Hot Dog with Juliet Prowse. Real beautiful and talented gal.


--
Dudley Henriques