# Why do aircraft default to white?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-aircraft-default-to-white/377372>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 21, 2006, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-aircraft-default-to-white/377372 "2006-10-21T22:04:23Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\
**Post date:** [October 23, 2006, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-aircraft-default-to-white/377372/21 "2006-10-23T01:23:37Z")

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[QUOTE=Vetch]  
I’m not sure what you mean, can you elaborate?  
[/QUOTE]

Just guessing here, but maybe it caused problems for the _Ground Control_ personel, who might be used to identifying ariplanes by glancing at their tails. Having every BA plane with a different tail paintjob would thus cause some confusion.

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**Author:** ![R.P.McMurphy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)\
**Post date:** [October 23, 2006, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-aircraft-default-to-white/377372/22 "2006-10-23T02:24:38Z")

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I seem to remember that American Airlines went to unpainted planes (except for trim) to reduce weight and therfore reduce fuel costs. This was before fuel economy was a fashion or an overriding factor. Therefore, the “silver” AA planes. Othere than that, white was the most practical color.

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**Author:** ![slaphead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9bcb4/32.png) [@slaphead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slaphead)\
**Post date:** [October 23, 2006, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-aircraft-default-to-white/377372/23 "2006-10-23T09:13:30Z")

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[QUOTE=Raguleader]  
Just guessing here, but maybe it caused problems for the _Ground Control_ personel, who might be used to identifying ariplanes by glancing at their tails. Having every BA plane with a different tail paintjob would thus cause some confusion.  
[/QUOTE]

I remember criticism from pilots and controllers who found it very difficult to identify BA planes with the ‘ethnic’ tailfins - it is after all usual practice to have a very distinctive company design painted on the tail. However, not being involved in the industry, it could all have been media BS for all I know.

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**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\
**Post date:** [October 23, 2006, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-aircraft-default-to-white/377372/24 "2006-10-23T09:49:48Z")

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IIRC, white was used on the British V-bomber force to help protect against the flash of a nuclear device going off below.

A real laugh flying for the V-bomber force, to compensate for blinding nuclear flashes, the RAF came up with the following scheme. The pilot would fly with one eyepatch and the co-pilot behind a blind over the canopy. When blinded the pilot would remove the eyepatch and fly until completely blind, then the co-pilot would remove the blind and wear an eyepatch, flying until blind himself :dubious: and :eek:

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