Skip to main content

Questions tagged [paint]

Any question relating to aircraft paint.

Filter by
Sorted by
Tagged with
3 votes
1 answer
167 views

Are all planes painted white first?

Is white used as base paint before other colors? So is the paint on coloured parts thicker than in white parts?
Aviationfan's user avatar
22 votes
1 answer
5k views

Why doesn't this 767 nose paint line up with the rest of the paint?

Looking at this Boeing 767 you'll notice that the nose paint is not lined up with the rest of the paint. But the same model with the same paint scheme on the second image is fine. What is the reason ...
Boeing787's user avatar
  • 6,494
28 votes
5 answers
14k views

Why are stealth aircraft not sky blue?

Why are stealth aircraft not painted sky blue on the bottom to make them hard to see by looking up from the ground? At night or with clouds between the plane and ground, the plane won't be visible ...
Someone's user avatar
  • 7,117
6 votes
1 answer
2k views

How is camouflage paint applied?

A comment on this answer suggests that the exact paint distribution of a camouflage paint job varies from individual to individual: Looking closely at the camo details, the a/c in photo in answer is ...
chrylis -cautiouslyoptimistic-'s user avatar
15 votes
1 answer
4k views

What are these paint patches on this 787-8?

What are these paint patches on this British Airways 787-8 (G-ZBJB)?
TayE's user avatar
  • 6,605
11 votes
2 answers
2k views

Why do Russian Su-30SM fighters have white nose radomes?

I am intrigued by the white nose radomes on Russia's Sukhoi Su-30SM fighters. Why white? Source These white nose radomes are especially noticeable in naval Su-30SM fighters, as the latter are ...
Rodrigo de Azevedo's user avatar
11 votes
1 answer
5k views

What are the random, differently-coloured rectangular patches on the top of this Boeing 737's fuselage?

The top section of this green-painted Boeing 737's fuselage was slightly faded and I noticed a few dark-green, rectangular patches on its top. They look like patch kits on a bicycle tyre's inner tube. ...
Johannes's user avatar
  • 113
11 votes
1 answer
3k views

What is that yellow square to the right of the main entry door of this Lufthansa A350?

My question is: is it just part of the paint job, or does this yellow square serve a purpose? I haven't seen this square on any other airlines.
Boeing787's user avatar
  • 6,494
5 votes
1 answer
1k views

Why are jet engine fan blades painted?

I came across this extremely interesting article with details on a 2018 United Airlines Boeing 777 engine failure, which is also related to the more widely-publicized failure a few days ago: http://...
rob74's user avatar
  • 288
1 vote
1 answer
357 views

What is the speed above which painting an aircraft black (or dark) results in lower skin temperature?

The Concorde is painted white for thermal reasons. If I understand correctly, it is done to reflect as much radiation as possible in order to lower tempereture. But when the skin is really hot (SR-71, ...
Manu H's user avatar
  • 16.5k
45 votes
3 answers
11k views

Why does the B-2 Spirit have a pattern of thin white lines?

Northrop Grumman's B-2 Spirit strategic bomber is mostly black or dark grey, but has a symmetric pattern of distinctive, thin white lines painted on its wings and fuselage. I have not been able to ...
Soviet Spy's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
981 views

Why is the nose cone of the Su-34 white?

The title says it all. It can be clearly seen, for example, in this image: (image source: Wikimedia) The rest of the jet seems to have a camouflage.
juzzlin's user avatar
  • 165
37 votes
4 answers
11k views

How are aircraft depainted?

There are several questions about livery changes and livery in general on this website. Yet, I fail to find information about paint removal. As a routine maintenance for an airframe that can live for ...
Manu H's user avatar
  • 16.5k
18 votes
1 answer
3k views

What are these silver stripes on Cosmic Girl for?

Cosmic Girl (a 747-400 used for launching things into space)1 has a network of silver-coloured stripes on its empennage, starting at the (closed-off) last cabin window, and going aftward and upward ...
Vikki's user avatar
  • 28.5k
3 votes
1 answer
2k views

Topics for high school chemistry project (IB Chemistry IA)? [closed]

I have to do an IB Chemistry IA and I wanted to relate it somehow to aviation; however, I can't do anything super complicated though because I'm only a high schooler. Here are some possible topics ...
John Wright Stanly's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
247 views

How is paint embrittlement countered in high altitude aircraft?

There are cases of aircraft that are not designed for high altitudes that can still fly there and as a result the paint on these aircraft "falls off". Although most aircraft have paint that is chosen ...
Lumis's user avatar
  • 173
9 votes
3 answers
3k views

Is there a specific purpose for the silver "swoosh" on Air Force One?

Air Force One, just ahead of where the wing joins, has a silver "swoosh" on the bottom of the fuselage: Air Force Two, or other congressional aircraft painted with the blue/white livery that I was ...
nodapic's user avatar
  • 1,817
-1 votes
2 answers
641 views

Does wing paint colour improve airplane fuel efficiency?

If birds that fly very long distances like seabirds have darker colours on top of the wings and lighter colours underneath the wing, is it possible that painting airplane wings similarly may improve ...
Angelique K's user avatar
3 votes
0 answers
329 views

How much does basecoat/clearcoat paint cost for an airline?

Suppose an airline with 15-20 A320 wanted to change the paint for the entire fleet, how much would it cost approximately? I need this for my thesis, but unfortunately, paint manufacturers I contacted ...
Sverg's user avatar
  • 103
6 votes
1 answer
951 views

Why are some vertical stabilizers painted 'after' installation?

I recently watched the Airbus videos on making the first PAL and Air China A350s. PAL’s vertical stabilizer was painted before being installed, as explained in 'Why are the tails always painted, but ...
sierrakilo's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
410 views

How is an aircraft painted?

How is an aircraft painted? I've always wondered how an air plane was painted and what steps it required to accomplish this task.
user avatar
29 votes
5 answers
12k views

Why was the Concorde painted white and not black?

It's well-known that the stated reason the Concorde was painted predominantly white was to mitigate heating problems. However, given that the source of the Concorde's thermal woes wasn't excessive ...
Vikki's user avatar
  • 28.5k
34 votes
1 answer
9k views

Why are aircraft coloured in yellow during construction, repair or overhaul?

Why are aircraft usually coated with "yellow", while either during construction or repair and overhaul? What exactly is the purpose of it?
Scramble shravan's user avatar
13 votes
1 answer
2k views

What is this red dashed line between door and cockpit window?

I noticed this dashed line located between the door and cockpit window on this 737-300 while boarding this exact aircraft at Ibiza airport. It seems to have text beside it but I did not have time to ...
Paul M's user avatar
  • 131
12 votes
3 answers
8k views

What is the meaning of nose-art on the Tu-160 bomber?

The BBC reports another Tu-160 interception on 15 Jan 2018 and it's clear that there is a large message painted on the side of the bomber. Looking at the Wikipedia page, it seems this style of nose-...
Party Ark's user avatar
  • 14.2k
10 votes
2 answers
14k views

Why were the fronts of the Messerschmitt Me-109 painted yellow?

After seeing the movie Dunkirk I learnt that the Luftwaffe didn't actually use the yellow coloring on the Me-109 until a few months after the battle of Dunkirk. Was this perhaps done to avoid friendly ...
vestland's user avatar
  • 203
20 votes
3 answers
5k views

Why are the wingtips of sailplanes painted red?

Modern (plastic) gliders are painted white (I suppose for thermal reasons), except for some shapes on the fuselage (generally blue or red, but it seems the color does not matter). And the aircraft ...
Manu H's user avatar
  • 16.5k
13 votes
3 answers
2k views

Is the old paint removed before applying a new one?

I've heard that paint on large airplanes weigh 250+ kg. When an aircraft gets a new owner, do they remove the paint that was previously on or simply paint over it? If it is removed, how is it ...
Xpleria's user avatar
  • 497
25 votes
3 answers
8k views

What is the purpose of the black paint below the cockpit windows?

Today I saw the following picture of the B747-400 SuperTanker, which shows a black painted region below the cockpit windows. I have also seen vintage pictures of other aircraft that also had this ...
codeaviator's user avatar
7 votes
2 answers
1k views

Does the "bat wing" aircraft paint design have a proper name?

I would like to do a web search for different planes that have utilised the "bat wing" paint application noticeable on the wings below? What keywords should I search for?
darmi's user avatar
  • 73
19 votes
2 answers
3k views

Why are the tails always painted, but not the fuselage, in test and delivery flights?

Granted some airlines prefer to paint their own planes, but we always see planes like the one below, protective coating everywhere but the tail. Why's that? (Source)
user avatar
25 votes
4 answers
16k views

Why did WWII prop aircraft have colored prop tips?

Why do propeller aircraft from World War II and similar planes sometimes have the tips of the props colored? I see it on single engine planes like the P-51 as well as bigger, multi-engine planes such ...
dalearn's user avatar
  • 2,263
1 vote
2 answers
1k views

Why aren't the undersides of military aircraft painted bluey-grey to camouflage them against the sky? [duplicate]

Why aren't military aircraft painted a bluey-grey colour to camouflage them against a bluey-grey sky? (I researched this but couldn't find a clear answer)
anonymous's user avatar
  • 3,564
3 votes
3 answers
7k views

What is in 'stealth paint' to absorb radar, and how does it work?

What is in the 'stealth paint' that coats stealth bombers e.g B-2 spirit, and stealth aircraft, e.g SR-71, and how does it absorb/deflect radar?
anonymous's user avatar
  • 3,564
9 votes
2 answers
4k views

Why are the tips of the flap track fairings painted red?

The fairings are painted red at the tips, look: Source: Airliners.net I have seen that on many new airplanes, not only the A330. So why are they painted red?
user13197's user avatar
  • 11.4k
5 votes
1 answer
5k views

Why are the leading edges of the 787's horizontal and vertical stabilizers not painted?

The other day I made a question about the engine painting and why it isn't painted at the front part. The answer was: to facilitate anti-ice system. Source: fervegeon.com So perhaps the leading ...
user13197's user avatar
  • 11.4k
19 votes
2 answers
5k views

Why is the front part of the engine not painted?

The engines are always painted a certain colour but the front part is always grey. Source And here on the XWB: Source Why is it that?
user13197's user avatar
  • 11.4k
12 votes
4 answers
4k views

Why are some airplane wings not painted?

Why is it that some wings are not painted on commercial jets? Couldn't they paint them the same color as the fuselage or would it be a waste of money?
Fabrizio Mazzoni's user avatar
13 votes
2 answers
3k views

Why don't airliner winglets have consumer advertising on them?

I was looking over the wikipedia article for the 737NG when I came across this picture: As you can see, the operator of the jet has written their companies web address on the winglet. Which seems ...
Jae Carr's user avatar
  • 24.3k
104 votes
15 answers
85k views

Why are planes generally painted white?

When planes come off the assembly line at the factory, they're green: So why are most painted white? Surely a darker colour would hide dirt better? Is there a reason planes are traditionally white? ...
Danny Beckett's user avatar