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Airbus Planning Transparent Planes
goG writes "European aircraft manufacturer Airbus has come up with the idea to build a passenger flight with a completely transparent fuselage. The central body of the aircraft will allow passengers to the see the stars above and city lights below. 'The planes of the future will offer an unparalleled, unobstructed view of the wonders of the five continents — where you will be able see the pyramids or the Eiffel Tower through the transparent floor of the aircraft,' Airbus said while unveiling the concept 'The Future By Airbus' earlier this year."
I dunno about anyone else, but knowing there is something non-transparent and solid around me is about the only thing that makes flying semi-sane for me. ;)
I would really love to fly on an aircraft that was designed like this. I enjoy flying and would really love to see everything bellow. The only problem is the baggage compartment, and the routing of the wire, hoses, and conduit.
GENERATION 25: The first time you see this, copy it into your sig on any forum and add 1 to the generation. Social exper
Is it perchance piloted by Amazonian princesses? If so I'm in
ACK NAK RST
Transparent ceramic planes using super-expensive future technology that will take years and years to actually make work! It'll be awesome! You'll be able to see through the plane! Except for the fuel, seats, luggage compartments, probably the floor, A/C ducting, electrical conduit, the bulkhead separating you from the pilot, the bathrooms in the back...
Or I guess we could just make the windows a little bigger.
Clear hydraulic fluid in clear lines; transparent aluminum wiring in nylon insulation. What a concept!
Oh come on, no way is this going to happen or work. It's not like the plane only holds the passenger compartment, and I can't see going to the effort to give the passengers a good view of the luggage, extra cargo, and distressed pets, which will all block the view, as well as letting the passengers see the condition of the wiring, landing gear and other controls. And even if the airlines really wanted to do this and found a way for all of the extra stuff to not block the view, the thickness of the curved hull would so drastically distort the view that it would not be worth doing.
It would be far simpler with today's technology to give everyone individual steerable, zoomable access to video cameras. I don't expect that to happen, and I don't believe that Airbus will ever build Wonder Woman's plane, the passenger version.
I'm an American. I love this country and the freedoms that we used to have.
I figured out what step 2 is!
Sell underpants to passengers who freak out when they can see the ground 30,000 feet directly below them.
"see the pyramids or the Eiffel Tower through the transparent floor of the aircraft"
Vomit is transparent?
When Fascism comes to America, it will call itself Anti-Fascism, and tell you to give up your guns.
...we can posit imaginary transparent stuff for the wire, hoses, and conduit as well. We can even imagine that we can tailor its refractive index so that it truly appears "invisible", not just "clear".
Just wait, tomorrow Airbus will announce it is changing its name to "General Products", then the fun will really start....
Airbus engineers once again prove the old adage about European heaven and hell.
In European heaven, the British are the police, the French are the cooks, the Germans are the engineers, the Italians are the lovers and the Swiss run the government.
In European hell, the British are the cooks, the French are the engineers, the Germans are the police, the Italians run the government, and the Swiss are the lovers.
Never shake hands with a man you meet in a fertility clinic.
Everyone here seems to be seeing only the increased view a transparent fuselage would provide. There may be another benefit: less weak points. Every time you make a hole in your fuselage, such as for a window, you are increasing the number of potential weak points. Imagine now the whole fuselage being one transparent piece, you reduce this problem. Anywhere you don't want people seeing out can simply be painted over.
Jumpstart the tartan drive.
In a joint statement, the chief executives of British Rail, Société Nationale des Chemins de Français, Deutsche Bahn, Österreichische Bundesbahnen, Ferrovie dello Stato, Nederlandse Spoorwegen, Schweizerische Bundesbahnen, Renfe Operadora, Norges Statsbaner, and several other European rail companies applauded the idea, saying it would help to increase competition in the market for European travel.
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