The mystery of the white-bodied aeroplanes

From aeroplane spotting high up in the sky and admiring its beautiful white structure to seeing it upfront while boarding and being amazed by the gigantic-ness of the plane, have you ever wondered why it's white in colour? While many might say, that there are several themed aeroplanes which are available in different in colours like a pokemon plane in yellow or a hello kitty plane in pink; but in majority planes are white bodied. Here’s taking a look at why aeroplanes are white.

Why are aeroplanes white in colour?

Aeroplanes are usually painted white for several reasons, including safety and economic. Here’s a breakdown of these reasons.

Cooling tactics

The colour white helps in reflecting the sun’s rays and heat more than any other colour. Since planes fly above the ground and closer to the sun, the chances of the rays heating it are way higher than what penetrates the Earth’s atmosphere and reaches humans. Thus, painting it white helps in reflecting this heat and keeping the airbus cooler, for if the plane heats up, the consequences can be disastrous midair.

Visibility

With a white body, aeroplanes are also easy to spot through radar and by naked eye in open skies. Moreover, white bodies also make it easier for pilots to locate other planes mid-air and avoid any kind of collision.

Easy to maintain

With the body of the aeroplane painted white, it becomes easier to spot any types of discrepancy, be it a crack or a leakage. This clear visibility helps in safety inspection and repair.

Inexpensive

White is the cheapest colour as compared to other colours, which are more costlier. White also requires fewer coats than any other colours which mean that less labour, drying time and paint. As a colour, it is also lighter and contributes to weight savings. Another advantage of painting it white is that this colour doesn’t fade easily, while darker ones do. It has the ability to tolerate high UV rays exposure. 

Resale strategy

Most airlines paint the bodies of their aircrafts in white, because it becomes easier to sell them in future. A white base is easy to give a touch up or even re-paint it as opposed to a dark colour paint on the aeroplane.

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