为什么飞机几乎总被涂成白色？ [英国媒体]

Why are planes nearly always painted white?

为什么飞机几乎总被喷成白色？



Painting an aircraft with several colours, as opposed to white, adds to its weight which increases fuel costs CREDIT: AP

与白色相比，用多种颜色燃料喷涂飞机会增加它的重量，导致燃料成本增加，美联社

There are exceptions. Air New Zealand once turned a Boeing 777 into a giant ad for Lord of the Rings, Mango, based in Johannesburg, utilises a bright orange hue, while Siberian carrier S7 tends to colour its planes lime green. But the vast majority of passenger aircraft are painted white. Why?

有些个例，新西兰航空为了指环王和Mango曾经把一架波音777变成巨型广告牌，
在约翰内斯堡，会使用明亮的成色，与此同时西伯利亚S7航空往往用石灰绿喷涂它的飞机。但是绝大多数客机都喷成白色，这是为什么？

It’s cheaper

它更便宜

“Paint adds between 600-1,200 lbs (273-544 kg) of weight to an aircraft,” a spokesperson for Boeing told Telegraph Travel. Extra weight means more fuel is burned, and 544kg equates to around eight passengers. 

“油漆会导致一架飞机增重600-1200磅（273-544千克）”波音公司的一个发言人对每日电讯报表示。额外的重量意味着更多的油耗，544千克大致相当于8名乘客的重量。

And airlines take the issue of weight very seriously. In the 1980s, for example, Robert Crandall, the former chief executive of American Airlines, claimed the carrier had made annual savings of $40,000 by removing just one olive from every salad served on board its flights.

航空公司对重量造成的问题非常重视。在八十年代，举个栗子，美国航空公司前首席执行官罗伯特·兰德尔声称，从每一份航空餐的沙拉中减少一个橄榄，就能给航空公司每年节省4万美元。

The paint itself costs money too, and repainting an aircraft uses a lot of it. “Approximately 120 gallons (454 litres) of paint are used on a typical 747; 90 gallons (341 litres) on a 767; and 110 gallons (416 litres) on a 777, while a typical 787 Dreamliner paint scheme involves 800-1000 lbs (362-453 kg) of paint,” said Boeing. All told, repainting a plane costs between ￡36,375 ($50,000) and ￡145,503 ($200,000). 

油漆本身也很花钱，粉刷一架飞机需要大量的油漆。波音公司表示：“一架典型的747大约消耗120加仑（454升）油漆；767上是90加仑（341升）；777是是110加仑（416升），而一架787梦想飞机涂装方案需要800磅（362-453公斤）的油漆（倒是接着用加仑啊，不是一个单位怎么比？）”总而言之，粉刷一架飞机的成本在36375英镑（50000美元）到145503英镑（200000美元之间）。

Furthermore, airlines often end up selling their aircraft to other carriers. They will find it harder to do so if the colour scheme is anything but white.

此外，航空公司通常在最后会把飞机卖给其他航空公司，他们发现，除了白色以外的任何颜色配色都会让这件事做起来更困难。



Reducing the plane’s heat absorption as much as possible keeps cooling costs down. CREDIT: AP

降低飞机的热量吸收，尽可能的降低冷却成本。来源：美联社

It keeps the plane cool

它使飞机保持低温

In the same way that lighter colours dominate our summer wardrobes because they are cooler, aircraft are painted white to reflect sunlight.

浅色系衣服主宰我们夏季的衣柜也是同样的道理，因为它们是冷色调，飞机被涂成白色以反射阳光。

“The main reason why aircraft are painted white or light colours is to reflect sunlight and minimise both the heating and any potential damage from solar radiation,” R. John Hansman, Aeronautics and Astronautics professor, told Business Insider.

航空航天大学教授“R. John Hansman，透露了商业内幕： “最主要的原因，飞机被涂成白色或浅颜色是为了反射阳光，减少了热量吸收和任何来自太阳辐射的潜在损害，

Plane features made of plastic and composite materials such as carbon fiber and fiberglass need the most protection from the heat of the sun. Therefore parts such as the nose cone of the plane, where the aircraft radar lives, and the control surfaces, which are made of composite materials, are all usually painted white or light grey, he explained.

他解释手，由塑料和复合材料（如碳纤维和玻璃纤维）制成的飞机特点最需要防止来自太阳热量的伤害。因此，诸如飞机的鼻锥，飞机雷达的寿命，以及由复合材料制成的控制表面等部件，通常都被漆成白色或浅灰色。
   
Concorde had to be painted with a special highly reflective white paint so it could withstand the heat generated from supersonic travel.

协和式飞机必须涂上一种特殊的高反射性白色油漆，这样才能抵御超音速飞行产生的热量。

“The power was gained using an engine reheat, where fuel is pumped into the jet pipe and set alight to give extra thrust,” British Airways said. “Concorde reached 127°C at the nose and trailing edge, but special white paint helped reflect and radiate heat. Its reflectivity was 80 out of 100, compared to the rating of normal white paint of 45-50 out of 100.”

英国航空公司说：“这种动力是通过发动机二次加热获得的，燃料被泵入喷射管中，并点燃以提供额外的推力。”

协和式飞机在机头和后缘达到127°C，但特殊的白色油漆有助于反射和散热。其反射率为百分之80，相对应的，正常白漆的反射率为40-50%。”



The Concorde was painted with a special highly reflective white paint CREDIT: GETTY

协和式飞机被喷上了特殊白色高反射率油漆

Damage control

损管

The white colour of most aircraft makes it easier for any cracks, dents, oil spills and other faults to be identified and repaired swiftly.

大多数飞机使用的白色油漆可以使任何裂纹、凹痕、漏油和其他故障更容易识别和修复。

Search and rescue

搜救

It depends where the crash occurs, but, should a plane go down, a white fuselage may well be easier to spot more from the air - another good reason for avoiding colour.

这取决于空难发生的地点，但是如果一架飞机坠毁，一个白色的机身更容易从空中识别--这也是避开其他颜色的原因



Reducing bird strikes

减少鸟类撞击

Aircraft visibility could be enhanced by white or brightly-coloured exteriors to potentially increase its detection and avoidance by birds, according to research, such as a US study published in the science journal Human-Wildlife Interactions in 2011.

通过使用白色或其他鲜艳的颜色使飞机的能见度提高，可以让鸟类更容易发现和规避，例如发表在2011年《人类与野生动物相互作用科学期刊》上的一项美国的研究。

The study looked at the correlation between bird strike rates among different airlines and aircraft colour schemes, assuming that “Darker aircraft colour schemes could potentially reduce the contrast between aircraft and the visual background [and] potentially reduce the ability of birds to detect aircraft in sufficient time to avoid a strike,” the report said.

这项研究观察了不同航空公司的飞机的配色方案和鸟类的撞击率之间的相关性
报告称，假设“暗色系的飞机颜色方案也许会降低飞机与视觉背景之间的对比度（并且）减少鸟类发现飞机以避免撞击的（反应）时间”



Does this mean colourful aircraft are more risky to fly?

这是否意味着色彩鲜艳的飞机会遭遇更多的飞行危险？

The Civil Aviation Authority says not. “There are no requirements from a safety point of view regarding aircraft paint schemes,” a spokesperson told Telegraph Travel.

民航局说然而并不是。（民航局）一位发言人告诉每日电讯报记者：“从安全的角度来看，关于飞机涂装方案没有要求。”

Coloured features on planes also tend to fade and whiten over time due to oxidisation, Mr Hansman notes, following long-term sun exposure and other environmental factors.

Hansman先生指出，长时间暴露于阳光直射和其他环境因素下，随着时间的推移而发生的氧化，（会使）飞机的颜色特征同样会褪色和变白。

Emirates A380 in numbers | Painting the world's biggest passenger plane

阿联酋航空数量众多的A380|世界上最大的客机涂装（需求）

6,000小时
Hours it took to paint the aircraft during its latest paint job in 2016.

6000小时
这架飞机在2016年的涂装工作中花费的小时数

3,046
Area of the plane in square kilometres that is covered in paint.

3046平方公里
飞机所用的油漆（能够）覆盖的面积

1,100
Kilograms of paint used over seven coats.

1100kg
七层油漆总重量

34
People required to paint the aircraft.

34人
涂装这架飞机的工人数量

15
Days it took to complete the paint job.

15天
完成这项涂装工作需要的时间

7.5
Average wait period in years before the aircraft is repainted.

7.5年
在飞机重新涂装前需要等待的时间

Why bother painting planes at all?

为什么要为飞机的涂装操心？

Until just after the Second World War, most aircraft exteriors were left unpainted, or decorated with only the airline emblem, for economical reasons. 

知道第二次世界大战，大多数飞机的外表没有涂装，或者处于经济方面的考虑，（飞机）只有航空公司的标志

Even in modern times some airlines have avoided using paint on their aircraft. American Airlines, for one, has been known for its bare aluminium look. But, while this saves money, it leaves the aircraft exposed and unprotected, especially in harsh weather conditions.

即使在现代，一些航空公司也避免在它们的飞机上使用油漆。举个栗子，美国航空公司以其飞机裸露的铝而闻名。



Historically, some airlines have attempted to avoid using any paint on their aircraft, such as American Airlines CREDIT: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

历史上，一些航空公司试图避免在自己的飞机上使用任何油漆，比如美国航空公司 信息：维基

“Those planes would start to tarnish over time so they had to spend time and money to polish them frequently. So, most airlines now use light coloured paint,” Mr Hansman said.

Hansan先生表示：“这些飞机会逐渐失去光泽，所以他们不得不花费时间和金钱来频繁地维护它们。”因此，大多数航空公司现在都使用浅色涂料。

“Paint is more than aesthetic; it affects the weight of the aircraft and protects the integrity of the airframe,” says the US Federal Aviation Association (FAA).

“涂装不仅仅关乎审美;它会影响飞机的重量同时保护机身的完整性。”美国联邦航空协会(FAA)说。

“A properly painted aircraft is easier to clean and maintain because the exposed surfaces are more resistant to corrosion and dirt, and oil does not adhere as readily to the surface.”

一架适当喷涂的飞机更容易清洁和保养，因为裸露的表面更耐腐蚀和耐脏，同时油不容易附着在表面上



The process of painting a plane

喷涂一架飞机的流程

“Commercial plane skin panels arrive at Boeing covered with a temporary coating to protect the metal from damage or corrosion during the manufacturing and assembly processes,” said Bill Dill, a decorative paint manager at Boeing’s commercial aircraft factory in Everett, Washington.

Bill Dill是一位波音公司华盛顿埃弗雷特的商用飞机制造厂的装饰漆经理，他说:“商用飞机的皮肤面板上覆盖着一层临时涂层，以保护金属在制造和组装过程中免受损坏或腐蚀。”

At a glance | The aircraft painting process

飞机喷漆过程的一瞥

It takes approximately four to seven days to paint a commercial jetliner.

喷涂一架商用喷气客机大约需要4到7天的时间。

Each paint hangar shift and crew has approximately 16 people assigned – 12 painters, a team lead, a mixer, an air raid person who monitors waste and hands out equipment, and a safety spotter.

每一个油漆机库用来轮班的工作人员大约有16人- 12名，一个团队领导，一个调色师，一个空气突击监察人员，负责监督废物和分发设备，以及一个安全观测员。

This is replicated over three shifts for a 24-hour operation. Providing a crisp, clear paint exterior is the goal for every plane that enters a hangar.

这是一个24小时不停三班倒的操作。为每个进入机库的飞机提供一个清晰、干净的外部漆面。

New airplanes arriving from the factory or the field are initially masked and washed in the paint hangar using a diluted soap and water mixture.

从工厂或外地来的新飞机最初使用稀释的肥皂和水混合物在油漆机库里进行掩蔽和清洗

Next, the airplane is sanded and then re-washed before the paint sequence begins.

然后，飞机被打磨抛光，然后在喷漆工序开始之前重新清洗。

Many of the world’s leading airlines’ jetliners are painted using MICA – a simulated metallic that is actually a plastic flake – which provides a nice metallic shine.

许多世界领先的航空公司的喷气式客机都是用云母——一种本质上是塑料的模拟金属喷涂，它提供了一种很好的金属光泽。

Painter tools include tape, paper and engineering-designed, precut stencils, while paint is applied using HVLP (high volume low pressure) and electrostatic spray equipment prior to curing.

油漆工的工具包括胶带、纸张、工程设计、预切模板、涂漆使用HVLP(高体积低压)和静电喷涂设备。

Source: Boeing

来源：波音公司

The second layer is considered a polish, while the third is a more decorative layer, when the plane’s upper half, vertical stabiliser and rudder are fully painted, using colours if required.

第二层被认为是一种抛光，而第三层则是一层更有装饰性的涂层，当飞机的上半部分，垂直稳定器和方向舵被完全粉刷，如果需要的话使用彩色。

The weight of the paint job differs according to whether two or three layers are used. “While the lighter weight of a polished plane saves fuel costs, the savings are more than offset by the higher cost of washing, polishing, and painting a polished fuselage throughout its service life,” says Boeing.

喷漆作业产生的重量根据是否使用两层或三层而有所不同。波音公司表示:“虽然抛光飞机（使得）重量较轻，节省了燃料成本，但在整个使用寿命期间，清洗机、抛光和抛光机的成本更高，这大大超过了节省费用。”