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The Airplane of the Future May Not Have Windows
merbs writes: Hope you're not too attached to looking out the windows when you fly — the designers of tomorrow's airplanes seem intent on getting rid of them. A Paris design firm recently made waves when it released its concept for a sleek, solar paneled, windowless passenger jet. Before that, Airbus proposed eschewing windows and building its cabins out of transparent polymers. Now, the Center for Process Innovation has floated its own windowless plane concept, and it's attracting plenty of headlines, too.
Fine, if it comes with a really good imaging system passengers can access. A VR set "would be nice."
In reality, of course, it would likely mean that only the 1% will be able to see what's going on outside, as that sounds like a First Class option.
Looking out the window get's pretty boring. Of course, staring at the back of the seat in front of me isn't much better. That's why I bring a book.
XDInd
We're going to need more vomit bags. People who were prune to motion sickness will be worse off without the windows since they are cut off from the last piece of sensory information that tells them that they are moving.
How are we supposed to see the gremlins?
Of course news about a fake are Fake News.
..i think they will have to keep windows in the hatches. they'll now call the emergency exit rows "observation deck" and charge x2 for them.
thats what i call win-win :)
Airplanes are the only thing with Windows that don't crash (often).
-- Political fascism requires a Fuhrer.
and as an added benefit at the push of a button you won't be able to see what is actually going on on the outside, probably the airplane company is selling this to the government as we speak, pushing it as a 'security' feature (by obscurity) as if people who really want to couldn't use timing to figure out where they are.
You can't handle the truth.
For the passenger is there really any difference between windows and walls made of transparent polymers?
Shame about the screens inside. Either in The Caves of Steel, or in one of the Isaac Asimov's Robot City books, Earth airplanes without windows were described. Apparently the agoraphobic Earthers of the time have no problem with flying as long as they're not forced see the outside. Not to mention us who don't like heights!
Also, the solar panels sound like a rather lame idea. Half the time, they won't work, and they could easily be as heavy as the windows were before them. It almost sounds to me as if simply using a few dozen kW from the turbines were the most obvious choice.
Ezekiel 23:20
"isle" seat? How big is the plane!??
I see no mention of anything of the sort in the article. With engine power outputs on the order of megawatts, of what possible use is adding fragile solar panels to an airframe?
Mostly random stuff.
This seems more like a couple of design firms tossing out ideas, kind of like what we used to see in Popular Mechanics.
Virtual reality is not good enough. If there is an accident we need to see actual reality to be able to see if it is safe to open the emergency exits and, for those not sitting in exit row seats, to be able to see which side of the plane they need to find an exit on. So perhaps they can make windows smaller but I doubt they can completely do away with them.
No. You will not transported off to a hidden location, where you will receive a brain transplant, before being returned to your original destination.
But how will you convince your delusional and paranoid uncle Bob?
It's never been difficult to save money by removing luxuries -- or, you know, the most basic of simple necessities: sunlight.
Hey, we can get rid of snacks, drinks, pillows, blankets, food, and attendants too! Think of the savings!
Who is designing these planes, German rocket scientists? "The Right Stuff" https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
I find it hard to sleep with the idiot with a bladder the size of a peanut crawling over me every five minutes, or the trolley dollies smashing into my shoulders, so I get the window seat to sleep against the bulkhead. I find your comment incredible.
I guess that means they'll be using Unix, BSD or Linux. ((Ducks))
"Do the Right Thing. It will gratify some people and astound the rest." - Mark Twain
From TFA:
Before that, Airbus proposed eschewing windows and building its cabins out of transparent polymers.
What that really means is that Airbus wants to turn the entire cabin into a window.
Also from TFA:
Hope you're not too attached to looking out the windows when you fly — the designers of tomorrow's airplanes seem intent on getting rid of them.
Well, I guess that technically, Airbus would be "getting rid of the windows", but if the end result is that everyone on the plane has a better view, I don't think it supports TFA's argument at all.
People are more comfortable if they see some bit of outside. I'd suggest at least a sky-light(s) of some kind on the ceiling. It can be closed up or have a haze layer drawn over it if the sun is too direct.
Table-ized A.I.
Have gnu, will travel.
Yeah, I bet all those high-resolution display panels will be lighter than windows, free to operate and won't require a massive computer system to drive them.
A plane without Windows?? Sounds like a dream come true but will it run Unity?
Pain is merely failure leaving the body
Looking out the window is the only remaining aspect of flying I look forward to even though it's worthless over most of the flight.
No problem in principal with fake windows and fudge-able camera views... some of the Qatar airways planes had down facing camera views that were exceptionally cool.
Only problem this will all be destroyed by advertising, paywalls and whatever annoyances the marketeers dream up to bleed maximum amount of pennies out of everyone while guaranteeing the most annoying and uncomfortable experience imaginable.
Just look at seating layouts in the fucking videos... with Airlines making seats thinner to squeeze in more rows... we'll see planes like this by the year 20never.
I can't get people to shut the dinky windows when I try to sleep on flights now. I hate those sleep masks. I hate flying and I am afraid of heights. For a few years now I joked about how they should make glass-bottom airplanes. I joked because it is ridiculous, just as this is.
Well, it has probably been a year or two since the last time slashdot trotted out the windowless airplane article.
If you are not allowed to question your government then the government has answered your question.
Hah ha ha.... When have savings ever been applied to customers? Always to Execs, then shareholders. A strawman position. Aka BS.
Using seamless digital displays around the cabin sounds very much like the displays inside Blaine the Mono from the Dark Tower series. Personally, I think this could be rather cool - especially if they had some augmented reality features that provided info on areas of interest, or if they showed pre-recorded video capture from other flights during clear weather to display in place of clouds when flying over weather systems. And when the plane starts in an uncontrolled descent, they can show a pretty landscape and while playing relaxing music while the passengers get an oxygen high from the O2 masks to help make their final moments less stressful.
If the walls are opaque, people with claustrophobia will be puking.
If the walls are transparent, people with agoraphobia or acrophobia will be puking.
If it's actually possible to make a strong enough transparent body, then paint everything except a horizontal stripe just a little taller than existing airliner windows. Liquid crystal panels for dimming might be nice.
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The US army has tried for years to come up with a full-face helmet with embedded HUD, built-in night vision, etc. On paper this is fantastic, but during field tests, soldiers consistently rip those off when they get into combat situations.
Put hundreds of people on a windowless plane, with 20% or more already scared at the idea of flying, and see what happens if the onboard computer crashes and they find themselves surrounded by blue (or black) screens. Cabin fever on steroids.
lucm, indeed.
It's the Year of the linux airplane !! YYYEEEAAAAHH
aaaaaaa
>> I think we just created thousands more people...
Make Love, not airplanes
aaaaaaa
I like looking out the window. I can look at a screen whenever I want. A picture of the outside isn't the same. It isn't 3D.
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You beat me to it. I was wondering whether that aeroplane would have Linux, QNX, Minix, NetBSD or FireFoxOS
Sardines don't need windows.
If Slashdot were chemistry it would look like this:Cadaverine
So I guess that means window-less airplanes won't have any natural light.
This is more of a problem than lack of a view.
Staying 20 hours seated in a plane, waiting, is painful enough as it is, lack of natural light only makes it worse.
Remember that some people (me included) just cannot sleep during a flight.
Otherwise there is no reason for them. Just look at military aircraft. Incidentally, the same is true for the forward-facing seats. Backwards-facing is better safety-wise, but there are too many people that cannot take that.
Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
Penny-wise, pound foolish.
Instead of removing windows, it'd be better to make the windows bigger to bring about a sense of awe to passengers. Or is it better to take out any wonder or joy in life and replace it with mere functionality?
They'd be far better investing in and researching electric planes like what Elon Musk has spoken about.
Why OpalCalc is the best Windows calc
Well, if this enables supersonic travel for current tickets prices, I don't mind. But otherwise, looking out of the windows is one of few things pleasant about flying. Why mess with it?
Why in the world would you think the emergency exits wouldn't have windows?
If you look at the image in the article there are over 20 rows there with no hint of a window for an exit row. Most of the planes I've flown on with single aisles have an exit row within that many rows and yet there is no sign of a window anywhere.
I mean seriously, do you think everyone else in the world is a total idiot?
Clearly not but I presume that you'll agree that there are idiots out there so when someone proposes a new idea it is reasonable to point out some potential flaws in the scheme to see whether they have thought it through and have solutions. If they have solutions that's a good sign that they know what they are doing. However if they have no answers and start getting upset and making wild suggestions that you've called everyone in the world a total idiot simply because you dared to question them, well that's not such a good sign is it?
Sorry folks, you'll just have to stand in that flying cattle car. And don't forget to wear your adult diapers, they won't have restrooms either.
I imagine the pilots find the windows useful, too. Sure, they can take off and land totally on instruments, but the instruments won't tell you everything you need to know about what you're about to fly into.
Give me my freedom, and I'll take care of my own security, thank you.
As reported by the BBC two months ago, f'cryin'outloud.
Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
I doubt commercial airplanes have the situation awareness to detect a surface-to-air missile before getting hit.
Now you can just close the curtain if you don't want to look outside, but with this system it's not possible.. And what about if you're affright of heights, great ride then... Problem with this is, yes it might be fun for some, but it might be terror for others.. Personally I think I wouldn't like it to see the sky/ground like this all around me when I have to sit for 11 hours.. Yes it might be fun for a few minutes..
The savings in aircraft construction is only part of the puzzle. Now, they can do away with all the shiny glass and steel, marble and lettering proclaiming "Welcome at Abc Airport!" etc. Littering, air pollution and urban decay will also be much less noticeable.
Free, as in your money being freed from the confines of your account.
Virtually all the entertainment systems on airplanes today run linux.
Artsy Paris design firm != actual aircraft designers.
Unless today's engineers take their aesthetic choices from someone else's random napkin doodles, I think we are safe with windows for a while.
(Btw what's up with the recent frequency of "new products" from design firms who pretty much just conceptualize a design by drawing a picture, with absolutely no engineering background, nor actual intent to build a working product? Aren't the aesthetics kind of the last concern, for most things?)
-Styopa
I completely agree! Pilots have a right to that last split-second of panic before they do a CFIT!
Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
The classic "holding pattern" where planes are "stacked up" at different altitudes but at the same radio beacon (VOR) intersection works like this. You fly straight for one minute, execute a 180 deg right turn for one minute, fly straight for another minute, and then execute another 1 minute right turn to complete the circuit. This is often done inside the clouds -- if there were good weather, you would not be in a holding pattern. Repeat until the passenger barf.
You see, after Reagan fired all the air traffic controllers and broke the strike with replacement workers, the FAA replaced most holding patterns with ground holds, where you are just sitting at the departure gate getting anxious about your 30-minute connection in Detroit.
At least sitting on the ground isn't wasting fuel, using up the fuel needed to fly the plane, and is generally safer than this "circling" (actually, "ovaling").
There really is no need for windows in airplanes.
Windows aren't necessary for flying, or take off, or landing. We instrument fly. When the instruments fail on a big liner you've got a lot of other problems and having windows won't help.
Windows aren't necessary for passengers to see what's happening. Use LED/LCD/etc view screens inside the cabin instead.
Windows aren't necessary to prevent motion sickness. Candied ginger works better. Realize most people don't have a window and can't see out a window on a plane.
Windows just is a bad idea when flying so ditch Microsoft before take-off. (Oops, was that the wrong Windows? :) )
I have to admit, I just flew Milan to Heathrow to Denver, and back, and I don't think I looked out the windows once, other than while standing in line waiting for the bathroom. Granted, I was center section aisle, and I did enjoy gawking on a recent flight across Africa, but overall I'd happily trade windows for a GOOD set of cameras.
In other news, BA finally update the entertainment system on their transatlantics to something better than 480P. Which also helps!
... grumble, grumble, grumble, mutter, mutter, Millenium... Hand... Shrimp, I tol' 'em, I tol' 'em.
One of the big issues with the Blended Wing Body, is that it is a theater seating, rather than a long tube. That meant no windows for nearly all passengers. So, with this tech, it can solve part of this.
I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
Problem is, no matter what aircraft manufacturers may say, its the airlines that determine the seating configuration, and sadly, they're going to just pocket that money and cram in one extra row.
The plane of the future will pack in the human cargo like rail cars to Auschwitz. There will be straps from the ceiling to secure the human cargo. Windows will of course be eliminated, so will overhead lighting and a pressurized cabin. Human cargo will be given a face mask type oxygen supply. Human cargo will be charged for waste removal, eg. the 'lavatory'.
Transparent aluminum - which I believe actually exists.
I'm all for replacing all instances of Windows on a plane with Linux. It will significantly reduce the risk of the place crashing.
how about dispense with passenger accommodations entirely? I'd rather be loaded into a shipping tube at the gate...
For most flights, you already lack the pillows, blankets and food, unless you fly trans-oceanic frequently. Short hop flights also lack snacks.
I'm sure they'll charge you to use them just like they do in-flight wifi. $30 for 20 minutes of window time or something exorbitant like that.
Airplanes are designed for midgets. If I have the window seat in any plane I've ever been in the window is below shoulder height and the seat in front of me is so close that I can't move my head in any way that would allow a view outside. I'm about average height (for a Dutchman). Having looked it up, I guess I'm about 12cm taller than the average Dutch man.
Maybe
Obligatory xkcd-planation: http://xkcd.com/678/
Wouldn't it just be easier to give all the passengers VR helmets?
Having the inside of the airplane be a giant TV screen has the obvious limitation that it can only look correct from one point of view. Every person in the airplane not looking at the screens from that position will get a distorted view, with the level of distortion proportional to the distance from this optimal position.
If I'm going to be barfing in an airplane for 14 hours looking at a computer screen, I'd rather it not be distorted.
In other words, you don't have a citation to prove your claim, just meaningless handwaving.
The military and corporate planes have had rear facing passenger seats for ages. ... I can't find anything substantial to back up your claim.
Following your "Parent" link, the claim you refer to seems to be this :-
It would be an interesting experiment to have rear facing seats, but have the displays inside make it seem like you're going forward.
I think you missed the part after the comma. The military aircraft I have been in certainly did not have panels with displays like we were going the opposite direction to what we were. In fact they did not have any interior decor whatsoever :-)
I asked for a citation proving your original claim, I got handwaving and bullshit in return. I point out your failure to provide a citation, and I get more bullshit and a failed attempt to make it my fault that you haven't provided a citation.
There's no other time and place I get to look down on cities from above, soaring past, or gaze out at a landscape composed of clouds. I wouldn't want to give that up. I can sit around with my laptop or smartphone or e-reader anytime; I can only see such a view during a plane flight, and I wouldn't want to give that up. If airlines started introducing such planes, i'd go rather far out of my way to avoid them.
I remember sigs. Oh, a simpler time!
Just about the time it gets airborne, the whole imaging system malfunctions and there you are with blank screens for a view, and missing anything interesting. Doubt that keeping the imaging running would be much of a priority, either. It'd probably work about as well as the other aspects of airline travel.