Airplane Window Color

Remember nearly 100% of factory airplanes have tinted gray windows, and have done so for many years. I've flown extensively behind clear wind screens and gray tinted wind screens, and I see better out of the gray tinted in all weather conditions. This article explores the phenomenon of color bands that appear when looking out of airplane windows, especially when using a polarizing filter.

It explains that these bands are caused by the interaction of polarized light, skylight, the plastic material of the window, and birefringence. While each passenger can fiddle around with the different settings, the cabin crew also have a master control where they can change the gel color of a single window, a section of windows or the entire aircraft. Why do cockpit windows often appear to have a rainbow 'tint'? It's similar to what you would see when looking at a shallow puddle of water with oil on top.

Here is an example of a B777 cockpit window with the same rainbow effect. The Boeing 787 is an innovative and groundbreaking aircraft in so many ways. From its mix of composite materials and comfortable cabin pressure to its large, electrochroamatic windows.

But how exactly does the technology behind that window dimmer switch actually work? The Boeing 787 Dreamliner has the largest windows of any passenger jet. My airplane has the grey-tinted windscreen and side windows (native color, not an applied tint), which is nice and I think helps a ton to keep the airplane cool when parked outside. Proper maintenance of tinted and dimmable aircraft windows provides aircraft a valuable tool, Mario Pierobon reports for AviationPros.

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Airplanes are designed with windows to provide a more comfortable and enjoyable flying experience for passengers. Like the windows in a car or truck, they allow passengers to observe their surroundings while traveling. While some airplanes use traditional pull-down shades over their windows, though, others use tint.

The colors occur because airplane windows are birefringent due to stresses in the forming of the window plastic. The colors are visible when polarized light entering the window are again polarized ("analyzed") by the viewer on the other side and show where stresses in the plastic occur.