black wing stripes on jets
 

why is it that some jet operators paint a black stripe from leading edge to trailing edge on their wings? i know that turboprops and piston acft have this so that it disguises the oil/smoke stains but this isnt the case with jets,especially since the stripes are on the top surface of the wing.i've noticed korean does this with their 777s and twa with their 767s.

Any tech person have an answer?:confused: :confused: :confused:

On the Fokker 100 the black painted line is used as a ice detector, when the Ice builds up on the leading edge it is easily detectable against a black strip of paint on the wing, it is also a manuel back up for the icing alert system in the cockpit.

I presume this is the same for most other jets where there is a black strip of paint on the wing

cheers

fc

thanks,very interesting:ok:

Hi, some aircraft also use marks on the upper surface of the wing to indicate the position of the main landing gear, which can then be used in conjunction with the onboard camera,i.e B777. Rgds.

Some military aircraft have a black painted strip on the upper surfaces which is simply a slightly roughened paint for walking on, allowing a bit more grip for the engineers who work up there, (and the aircrew if it's a type which you climb into via the wing). I don't know if commercial aircraft use similar paint for the "walkways", I'll ask next time I'm at work.

Hi, yes we have "walkways" on our 737-300. From the over wing exits down off the trailing edge of the wing. So people do not slip in an evacuation. Looks like white paint with some sort of grit or something mixed in.

As Fast Cruiser quite correctly pointed out, it is predominantly used to detect ice accretion, it is especially handy at night, as when you light the area, it provides a definitive contrast thereby
facilitating ease of detection.

What about those black circles around the nosecones of the British Airways 757 and 737-400 aircraft? are they there for a similar ice detection reason?

Also, why,at one time,(i think in the early eighties)were all-black nosecones so prevalent? anything to do with heat retention for the weather radar?

RUDAS,
Think the nosecone (radome) markings on the BA 757s were connected with MMR (multi-mode receiver) trials.

The black stripes indicate that it is an allied aircraft that was operational on D-Day. :}