Why Are Airplanes Usually Painted White? Check Out The Scientific Explanation

Why are airplanes always painted white, whether you watch on TV, on mobile, or anywhere else, you will always find the majority of them in white color, yes some parts of the plane are in different colors but the majority of the part remains always white. Many reasons could be responsible for this, scientifically speaking, if any darker color is applied on an airplane, then it will absorb the sunlight and heat, which is not a good thing to happen with a plane at a very high altitude, as this heats up the body of an airplane. At high altitudes the sunlight is even more intense, so the plane should be kept as cool as possible, and the white color does exactly the same. The white or light colors do not absorb sunlight but reflect it so that the plane's temperature is not reached dangerously high. 

The second reason is to check for forms of surface damage such as cracks and dents on the body of the airplane, it is strictly a rule of every airline that it must have a regular inspection of the airplane to check whether it has cracks or any other faults, otherwise, it can be very dangerous. So what would be better than white for this, if there is some other dark color then the cracks will be hidden in it but through the white color these can be clearly visible, like the dirt in white clothes is clearly visible? Hence white color is preferred for safety so that every crack and dent can be easily detected.

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Painting the plane white can even help in preventing bird attacks, allowing the birds to see the plane and avoid hitting it. Because painting the plane with darker colors will make it a bit similar in appearance to the ground or mix in with the ground and reduce the bird's ability to see it.

The fourth reason is the weight of the paint, each color of paint has its own weight, now if you paint on the body of such a big plane, how much will it affect the weight, you can guess. Paint can add between 600-1,200 lbs (273-544 kg) of weight to an aircraft. According to calculations, if we paint the body of the aircraft with any other darker color, it will weigh more than 250 kg, increasing the weight of the aircraft while the polished skin will weigh just 25 kg. 

If the plane's weight increases, it will take more fuel, which means more expenses for the airline company. And if we reduce that same 250kg, it will benefit the airline in the long run, so most planes are completely white, and hence most of the airplanes you see since childhood only appear white. It has also been proven that the white color usually does not fade as rapidly as other colors, which means the aircraft has to be repainted less frequently, leading to less expense for the airline companies.