Why Most of Airplanes Are White?

It’s obvious that not ALL planes are white. Yes, there are plenty of colorful ones. For example, Mango, an airline that operates in South Africa, paints its planes bright orange. The Hungarian-based Wizz Air has planes that are partially painted bright pink and purple. And there’s always the Siberian carrier S7 with their bright green planes. But these are more of a rare exception. The general rule goes like this: "You’re better off painting your aircraft white!" Definitely your summer wardrobe has at least a couple of white items, be it a T-shirt, a pair of pants, or a light tank top. The main reason people prefer white on a hot day is its uncanny ability to reflect sunlight!

Compare that to dark colors that absorb sunlight, and you quickly understand why you feel like you’re boiling on a summer day while wearing black. So, just like with clothing, aircraft producers use white paint to keep airplanes cool. It minimizes the heating as well as the potential harm from solar radiation. Planes have some parts made from plastic, carbon fiber, and fiberglass. Those things in particular need the most protection from the blazing sun. That's why all the control surfaces of the plane, along with the nose cone, should always be white. Concorde, a French-British supersonic passenger airliner, was covered with a special extra reflective white paint. Otherwise, it wouldn't have withstood the heat that generated when the plane flew at such high speeds. It is twice the speed of sound, meaning Concorde moved at a staggering 1,355 mph when it was in use!

The next reason for painting planes white is even more practical. Like a lot of things, it comes down to money. It’s just cheaper to have white-colored aircraft. You see, all airplanes start out white when they’re made. But what if an airline decides to paint theirs, say, bright yellow? First of all, an additional layer of paint will add more than 1,000 lb. of weight to the aircraft. More weight means more fuel burnt, and that can get pricey! If you thought gas was expensive, try filling up a jumbo jet! Besides, the paint itself costs a pretty penny too. That is, at least $50,000 or up to $200,000 to paint just one plane! And if you decide to sell your airplane one day, it’ll be way harder for you to get rid of a bright yellow flying machine than an ordinary white one. Nobody wants to spend extra money covering that up!

Also, if a plane has some damage, such as a crack, dent, or oil spill, the white background makes it much easier to spot and repair the fault. Plus, if a crash happens and the aircraft goes down, rescuers will be able to locate a white plane much faster. Finally, one 2011 study found that birds don't fly into white or light-colored planes as often as they do with darker ones.

But why do they have to fly so high? The cruising altitude of most commercial jets is about 35,000 ft. Why can’t they fly just high enough to avoid crashing into tall things like skyscrapers and mountains? Turns out this altitude isn't some randomly chosen number. First of all, the higher you rise above the ground, the thinner the air becomes. It means that aircraft face less resistance and burn less fuel to fly through such a thin atmosphere. Granted, there are models that do better in the thicker air at lower altitudes. Anyway, planes have one more crucial reason for flying so high, and you’ll like this one!

At higher altitudes, there's no need to worry about flying into a thunderstorm or getting stuck in a cloud. But even though planes CAN travel through clouds, it isn't a smooth ride because of turbulence. Yes, the dreaded “T” word often sends passengers into a panic when they feel it. No pilot or crew wants to deal with that if they can avoid it! The takeaway here? Keep your seat belt fastened at ALL TIMES while the plane is in the air. The 35,000-ft cruising altitude is also much higher than most bird’s fly. And since a bird or two can bring an entire plane down (it’s rare, don’t worry), it’s still better to be safe than sorry. Even if the plane comes out the winner, that’s still a lot of expensive damage!

And last but not least, if something goes wrong during the flight and the plane starts to plummet, the height will play the role of a "safety cushion." Such an altitude may buy the pilots necessary time to fix the problem! Ok, planes need to be really high up, got it. But what about those holes in the windows? That’s a little unsettling, especially when you find out that it’s called “the bleed hole.” Well, despite the questionable name, it’s there for your safety! The aircraft cabin is pressurized during the flight. If it wasn’t, you and everyone else – including the pilots! – would pass out as soon as the plane got to its cruising altitude.

You ever wonder why they turn up the AC and pump all that air into the cabin? It’s a way to create the same air pressure your body is used to on the ground. Meanwhile, the difference between the pressure outside and inside the cabin is so great that the inner condensed air desperately struggles to get out of the plane where it’s a lot roomier! Enter the ominous hole. The thing is, plane windows have three panes. The first one is the one you leave your fingerprints on as you curiously investigate what looks like something that shouldn’t be there. The second, with the bleed hole in it, is in the middle. And the outer takes all the brunt of the pressure difference. The purpose of the tiny hole is to make sure that the cabin pressure is applied only to the outer pane. Also, if something happens to this third pane and it gets smashed, the middle layer will be able to protect you from the lack of air pressure outside. So, yet again, nothing to worry about – aircraft engineers know what they’re doing!