Northwest Red Tail--why always red?

B

B757plt2B

Well-Known Member
Why have the tails on Northwest Airlines' planes always been red? I have heard it is because they used to crash a lot while flying over the poles (looong time ago), and so they painted a red tail to make it easier to find the wreckage. I thought I also might have read that the owner/CEO way back in the day wanted to make it easier to spot his planes in a terminal environment, hence the red tail. Any thoughts??

P.S. I know one of you is just waiting to crack a joke about the tails being red because they're "in the red," so I'll spare you.
 
I was told it was in the event of a crash it could be found easier in the harse environments they flew over. That was also when it was Northwest Orient.
 
Marketing.

Besides, when a plane crashes, there's not a whole lot of anything left!
 
Northwest was founded by the Tuskegee Airmen. Nahhhhh, just kidding, they wanted to be like them!!!!!!
 
B757plt2B said:
Why have the tails on Northwest Airlines' planes always been red? I have heard it is because they used to crash a lot while flying over the poles (looong time ago), and so they painted a red tail to make it easier to find the wreckage. I thought I also might have read that the owner/CEO way back in the day wanted to make it easier to spot his planes in a terminal environment, hence the red tail. Any thoughts??

P.S. I know one of you is just waiting to crack a joke about the tails being red because they're "in the red," so I'll spare you.
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I'm thinking in todays world having a red tail for the sole purpse of finding the crash site easier is null and void.
With todays sophisticated technology like ELT's and flight data recorders. Thats just my guess...other then nostalga. I would suspect thats why NWA planes have Redtail's and like Doug said marketing.

-Matthew
 
Maximillian_Jenius said:
I'm thinking in todays world having a red tail for the sole purpse of finding the crash site easier is null and void.
With todays sophisticated technology like ELT's and flight data recorders. Thats just my guess...other then nostalga. I would suspect thats why NWA planes have Redtail's and like Doug said marketing.

-Matthew
Click to expand...

From the NWA site.....
"
1948 - The "Red Tail" is painted on all Northwest aircraft for the first time, creating a trademark that becomes known world-wide and that continues in use almost 50 years later. "
 
Maximillian_Jenius said:
Man JEP...sometimes you act like you live in a NWA hub city!

-Matthew
Click to expand...

Used to work there, Live in the city.

Keeping it real in Minneapolis! :bandit:
 
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