Panzer Vor!!! Posted August 14, 2016 Share Posted August 14, 2016 Hi As I,m a 100% armour modeller and enthusiast who knows very little about wingy things i ,m curious to know why we paint planes noses black ?? D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aimee'sDad Posted August 14, 2016 Share Posted August 14, 2016 Anti-glare panel. Unless your referring to the nose tip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panzer Vor!!! Posted August 14, 2016 Author Share Posted August 14, 2016 Hi Thks its the nose tip im curious about I saw a BA plane with a black nose but the next to it did not Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevehnz Posted August 14, 2016 Share Posted August 14, 2016 I always thought it was something to do with making the radar housing as non reflective to radar transmissions as possible. OK, now wait for someone to destroy a lifetimes misconception. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenko Posted August 14, 2016 Share Posted August 14, 2016 Dave, It's to tell people who make tanks which is the front end. Dick 14 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twobad Posted August 14, 2016 Share Posted August 14, 2016 It was originally to do with making the radome transparent for the radar. The first colour developed was black and so the trend continued I think. When I was involved in integrating the F-16's APG66H into the Hawk 200 the colours available were quite limited (rain erosion resistance is another key requirement), though we went for Barley Grey or similar FED-STAN-595a colour.There are many more colours available now I think, but the radar still has to be characterised with the paint, to make sure it is OK and no internal reflections occur which would give false targets. The performance issue is also why there are warnings on radomes sometimes saying they must not be painted. As a side issue, none of could understand why they initially chose black. Most black paints are based on carbon black which conductive to a degree, so not the first thing you'd think of sticking over the front of the antenna. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panzer Vor!!! Posted August 14, 2016 Author Share Posted August 14, 2016 Dave, It's to tell people who make tanks which is the front end. Dick I walked into that one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenko Posted August 14, 2016 Share Posted August 14, 2016 (edited) I walked into that one Hopefully not too painful ??? Those radomes can be very pointy at times Dick Edited August 14, 2016 by jenko Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alex Posted August 14, 2016 Share Posted August 14, 2016 IIRC, it is because many years ago the special paint, which had to be extremely resistant against abrasion, could only be manufactured in black. Alex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Knight Posted August 14, 2016 Share Posted August 14, 2016 The carbon used in the black paint is very good at dispersing static electricity quickly, stopping the the static elec from interfering with whats inside or behind the panel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tempestfan Posted August 15, 2016 Share Posted August 15, 2016 I think in the early days at least radomes were made of some rubbery stuff over woven inlay to let the waves pass, and that rubbery stuff may have been black(ish). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shar2 Posted August 15, 2016 Share Posted August 15, 2016 The radome on my Learjet 25 is GRP with a white gel coat, but the very tip is a black anti-erosion resin, as are the tip tank noses. The Sea Harrier FRS-1 nose cone was also a black gelcoat over a GRP type material, but that had a metal tip right at the end for anti-erosion duties. I guess these days the airlines can choose what colour they want, black or white. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now