Here's Why The Airbus A350 Has That Black Mask Around The Cockpit

Aesthetics often don't factor into airlines' plane-buying decisions — safety, efficiency, and cost take priority. However, some of the most iconic aircraft feature distinctive exterior designs that make them stand out, such as the Concorde's delta wing, the Boeing 747's hump, or the eyebrow windows on some older Boeing models. And Airbus' A350, which entered service a decade ago, has a black mask around the cockpit.

The A350 is the first Airbus to have a curved cockpit glass, moving away from the flatter ones in older models like the A320 and A330. The European manufacturer has explained that the curved glass results in less drag, and in turn, reduced fuel use. The plane's curved nose and cockpit windows are aerodynamically designed to help the plane cut through the air efficiently.

But what's with the Zorro-esque mask? The black raccoon-like mask around the cockpit glass, Airbus says, makes window maintenance easier, while more importantly, enabling better heat management. The mask, the planemaker says, lets heat disperse evenly over the surface, as the dark color aids in temperature distribution around the cockpit glass and ensures longer life of the panes, which face repeated thermal expansion and contraction. The dark paint around the cockpit glass, much like sunglasses, also helps reduce glare, and thus, pilot fatigue.

The wide-body A350 had a number of firsts for Airbus. It was the first from the stable to have a carbon-fiber fuselage, with over half of the plane made using carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer. The company says that 70% of the plane is made of titanium, composites, and aluminium alloys, which has resulted in it being lighter and efficient. The new nose and black mask around the cockpit were other distinguishable features of the airplane, with Airbus moving from the six panes usually seen in wide-body jets to a sleeker, curved four-pane cockpit glass. 

Following the introduction of the Zorro mask on the A350, Airbus added it to other offerings, including the Airbus A330neo, Airbus A321neo, and the Airbus A321XLR. Some airlines have used the black mask as a template for a new livery, like Air Canada, whose aircraft's fuselage belly has dark elements to complement the mask up front. 

While other aircraft manufacturers haven't copied the raccoon mask, a few have adopted the curved cockpit glass. The latest is COMAC — seen as China's answer to the A320 — whose C919 features a four-pane cockpit window like the A350's.