Why are airplanes white?

It gives the manufacturer more options in selecting trim colors, just as all
Boeing jets come out of the factory green.

Bob Gardner

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
ups.com...
My daughter innocently asked that question the other day, and I gave
her the usual "because white reflects heat better" answer -- but that
really doesn't add up, does it?

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?
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
ups.com...
My daughter innocently asked that question the other day, and I gave
her the usual "because white reflects heat better" answer -- but that
really doesn't add up, does it?

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?
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Real airplanes are yellow ;-)

Jay Honeck wrote:

You DO realize of course that by bringing this up you have opened a
whole new source of potential revenue for Al Sharpton and Jesse
Jackson?????????
:-))


--
Dudley Henriques

I recall that even a light color like yellow is something like over 30%
hotter than white.

What 30% means? Either 50 deg C becomes 65 deg C or 122 deg F becomes
159 deg F?

--
SPace-SHIP

Dudley Henriques wrote in
:

You DO realize of course that by bringing this up you have opened a
whole new source of potential revenue for Al Sharpton and Jesse
Jackson?????????
:-))


So long as there are no Black aircraft that have been specifically attacked
by White aircraft this should not be an issue.

However, it brings to light the truth as to why military aircraft are
generally painted olive green...

Jay Honeck wrote in news:1194095788.943020.167300
@o3g2000hsb.googlegroups.com:

My daughter innocently asked that question the other day, and I gave
her the usual "because white reflects heat better" answer -- but that
really doesn't add up, does it?

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?
--


My last one wasn't and my next one won't be..

Bertie

Jay Honeck writes:

My daughter innocently asked that question the other day, and I gave
her the usual "because white reflects heat better" answer -- but that
really doesn't add up, does it?

Actually it does, at least for high-speed aircraft. They are already heated
externally by aerodynamic friction, and letting the sun beat down on them at
high altitude with a black paint job would only heat them up more.

However, some black liveries are in service, so apparently it's not enough to
cause a problem. The old Playboy corporate jet was entirely black, and I
think there have been a few others.

For small GA aircraft, I can't think of any obvious reason why they should be
painted white.

Judah wrote:
Dudley Henriques wrote in
:

You DO realize of course that by bringing this up you have opened a
whole new source of potential revenue for Al Sharpton and Jesse
Jackson?????????
:-))


So long as there are no Black aircraft that have been specifically attacked
by White aircraft this should not be an issue.


Well....could be......and I know Twanna Brawley isn't an airplane, and
she most certainly wasn't attacked, but lo and behold......who shows up
to "save the day and "make it all right again" but Sharpton!!!! :-))
DH


--
Dudley Henriques

"wp" wrote in message
...
I recall that even a light color like yellow is something like over 30%
hotter than white.

What 30% means? Either 50 deg C becomes 65 deg C or 122 deg F becomes
159 deg F?

As I recall (and that is all I can do, since I can't find the chart again)
the white temperature was compared to a black temperature, both in direct
sun. All of the other colors were compared to that.

Surely somone can remember seeing that study, anyone?
--
Jim in NC

Dudley Henriques wrote in
:

Judah wrote:
Dudley Henriques wrote in
:

You DO realize of course that by bringing this up you have opened a
whole new source of potential revenue for Al Sharpton and Jesse
Jackson?????????
:-))


So long as there are no Black aircraft that have been specifically
attacked by White aircraft this should not be an issue.


Well....could be......and I know Twanna Brawley isn't an airplane, and
she most certainly wasn't attacked, but lo and behold......who shows up
to "save the day and "make it all right again" but Sharpton!!!! :-))
DH

Tawana Brawley claimed to have been raped, which certainly made Sharpton
see Green. The allegations were later proved untrue and everyone involved
(especially Sharpton) walked away quite Red-faced.

I'm Green enough that before the incident, I saw the world through Rose-
colored glasses.

Quite frankly, this whole talk about Sharpton and Jackson is just a Red
herring anyway, because they are both too Yellow to ever fly an airplane.

I just hope this conversation doesn't give them the Green light to start
profiteering from the aviation industry.

Blue skies...