Airbus A350
CC BY-S.A 2.0, via wikimedia commons
Rumors circulate about why Airbus uses black paint around the windshield. These black masks would improve the thermal sensation of the plane, or reduce the glare for the pilots. But these theories are wrong.
The truth is, windshield styling goes far beyond aesthetics.
According to Airbus itself, the stylized windshield helps maintain the plane. Without providing further details, the manufacturer says that this way the thermal condition of this sensitive area is better, in addition to facilitating maintenance.
The thermal explanation is that, since the plane can take off from a very hot region and face temperatures around – 50° C outside, the black color in this region would contribute to not having such a sudden thermal expansion, protecting fitting the windshield and helping to keep the plane safe.
Ease of maintenance, on the other hand, is due to the fact that it does not need painting in this area, since black comes from the factory in this part.
This mask is present on all aircraft in the A350 lineup, but not on all A320s and A330s.
Airbus A321neo
Olivier CABARET, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
However, the functionality of this technique is questionable, as some planes have it and others don't. The engineer Fernando Kehl, Airbus fleet manager at Azul Linhas Aéreas, says that the color is more an aesthetic standardization than a technological advance in itself. "Engineers from the company itself told me that, in these models, this mask has no technical function".
One thing that cannot be denied is that maintenance actually becomes cheaper since painting is not required. And the aesthetics are really cool.
The text of this article contains information from UOL.
Rafael Ramos
Aviation enthusiast from an early age, he had his first contacts with the area developing that good old habit of spending dozens of hours in front of the screens of Micrsoft Flight Simulator and other simulators. With a solid background in various technological areas, including engineering and chemistry, Rafael has rejoined aviation as editor and author of articles and materials on our portal, providing invaluable help to the dynamics and expansion of the website and the aeronautical community, bringing us the news and updates so indispensable for us to remain current in our area of operation.
   
|
