Here’s a quick test: think of an orange.
What color is it?
Okay, that was too easy.
Let’s try again: think of an airliner!
Is the jet you imagined painted white?
No surprises there since most of them are.
But I got to thinking: why is that?
Well, I'm a curious soul with a healthy obsession of airplanes, so I couldn't just leave this
question unanswered.
And here’s what I found…
Oh, hang on, I hear the hecklers in the back.
I know 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.
(Hmm, I would’ve guessed another color that rhymes with mellow…)
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!"
I bet your summer wardrobe has at least a couple of white items, be it a T-shirt, a
pair of pants, or a light tanktop.
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.
I’m talking 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!
Uh-oh, that's a bit more than I was planning to spend today...
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, --oops that’s out of sequence,
let’s try it again: if the aircraft goes down and a crash happens –yeah that’s
more better -- 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.
Ok, that answers my question.
But why do they have to fly sooo high?
The cruising altitude of most commercial jets is about 35,000 ft. Ooof, don’t look down!
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, but I’m
generalizing here.
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.
Just kidding on that last bit.
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 birds 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.”
Egh…
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!
And there’s one more question that seems to bother a lot of people: why don't airplanes
fly over the North Pole?
It turns out that planes must follow super strict rules when it comes to their flight
routes.
For example, commercial planes aren't allowed to fly over Tibet due to the towering peaks
of the Himalayas.
But surely the plane's cruising altitude is higher than even the tallest mountain in the
world?
Well, yeah, but not by much.
Everest is 29,029 ft tall.
That’s only a 6,000-ft difference from the cruising altitude.
A little too close for comfort…
But that’s not all.
Imagine this: during a flight over the Himalayas, decompression occurs in the cabin, and all
the passengers need to put their oxygen masks on immediately.
Within a span of 15 to 20 minutes, the plane would need to descend to an altitude where
passengers will be able to breathe again.
The problem is, there’s a bunch of mountains in the way!
Alright, we’re heading off course.
Let’s return the question of avoiding the Arctic.
Admittedly, there might be charter flights that will deliver you to the North Pole.
As for commercial airlines, it's a big no-no.
First, a plane must always be within 60 minutes of an airport where it can land in case of
an emergency.
Now, this rule applies only to 2-engine airplanes.
So, big ones with 3 or 4 engines can cross the Arctic?
Mmm, negative.
If a plane goes down and crashes up there, it’ll be next to impossible for survivors
to endure such harsh conditions for very long.
Not to mention, pilots say flying close to one of the Earth's magnetic poles is a nightmare
since navigational equipment tends to wig out!
Not to mention you’re also getting into Santa’s airspace, and he’s keeping a list
and checking it twice, so you don’t want to be naughty – you want to be nice.
So there.
Anyway, What’s something you’ve always wondered about airplanes or aviation in general?
Let me know down in the comments!
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