What if I had a car painter come into my hangar and paint my plane (even the thought of painting my plane hurts a little!)? He wouldn't know there were any regulations and probably wouldn't even think about checking. In this video, we uncover the hidden truths behind the aviation industry's obsession with the color white. It turns out, painting a plane a different color could be a multi.
Also, white reflects light better than other colors and helps prevent the airplane from overheating. These are only a few of the reasons most planes are white. This article will explain why black isn't ideal for airplanes and why most airlines have all-white fleets with colorful liveries.
I'll even tell you about a special all. The lime-green coating on jet aircraft and airliners before they get their final paint is a layer of corrosion-inhibiting primer. This primer helps protect the aircraft's metal surfaces from corrosion and other environmental damage during the manufacturing and assembly process.
Black paint can absorb more heat from the sun, leading to an increase in the temperature of the aircraft. This can have negative effects on the structural integrity of the plane and can also impact the performance of the aircraft. In addition to the heat absorption issue, there are also regulatory concerns when it comes to painting a plane black.
The reason is that there is no incentive to. Commercial planes certainly can be painted black, Southwest Airlines used to paint their planes to look like Shamu. Just google "shamu livery" and you will see lots of commercial planes painted black.
Heat from the sun is the same for any coloured airplane. however, black absorbs all the colors in the spectrum (including the ones outside like infra-red) while white reflects. Thus, a black colored object will have higher heat absorption which results in more heating of the metal fuselage as against white.
Its similar to why white cottons are preferred in hot regions and dark woolens in cold. Yes, you can paint an airplane black, and it has been done (years ago, Playboy Enterprises painted a company DC-8 black, which is probably the most famous example). The main disadvantage to painting an aircraft black is that it increases excursions in temperature of the skin of the aircraft.
You can paint your plane black if you want to, but yes, the reason why planes are usually painted bright/white is to keep the paint look nice longer (colors fade over time) and not heat up everything in the plane. Not just the cabin heat, but also all the electrical wiring and plastics, which just really don't like heat to degrade them. The cost of a quality airplane paint job borders on the astronomical.
But, in fairness to the paint shops, that's because the work involved in doing it right borders on the astronomical. In an effort to save money, can you paint your own airplane? Here's what the FAA regulations say.