Airbus Planning Transparent Planes 488
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."
This would scare the hell out of me (Score:5, Insightful)
I for one (Score:5, Insightful)
I wonder... (Score:5, Insightful)
Is it perchance piloted by Amazonian princesses? If so I'm in
it would be awesome, but impossible (Score:3, Insightful)
How can you make all of the airplane transparent? It's probably not possible with most of it at all, given how many wires, pipes, tubes, insulation, bolts and nuts there are there.
I would love to fly a fully transparent plane though, completely transparent, that would be super awesome!
Except that there would be other passengers there to spoil the view, and fuel. That would be weird.
Or what will actually happen. (Score:5, Insightful)
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.
Re:I for one (Score:3, Insightful)
A thousand other replies followed yours, with every variation of Wonder Woman, transparent cargo, wiring and bathrooms. Congrats on being fastest, or first to get an Insightful mod.
Personally, I think that temperature regulation and solar dazzle will be a lot harder problem. Already, flying north or south near sunset can have a noticeable impact on cabin temperatures, and everyone slides the blinds closed on the sunward side. What if you don't have those options? You're going to be the ant in the jar, left to sweat it out in the direct sunlight. Such a plane would be suitable only for short excursion use.
Transparent (Score:5, Insightful)
Clear hydraulic fluid in clear lines; transparent aluminum [slashdot.org] wiring in nylon insulation. What a concept!
Re:This would scare the hell out of me (Score:4, Insightful)
I'm with you, man. I'm not afraid of heights, but the idea of experiencing a steep banking turn with a transparent fuselage makes fairly nauseous.
B.S. detector fodder (Score:5, Insightful)
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.
Deja vu all over again... (Score:4, Insightful)
I remember the concepts for the 747... Piano lounge upstairs with a bar. Private cabins. Luxurious accomodations.
Didn't take long for the 747 to become a large cattle car. Any bets on how long the luxury will last?
Re:it would be awesome, but impossible (Score:3, Insightful)
I may not want to see it, but Rule 34 would imply that someone does.
Besides, there are international flights.
Re:Awesome (Score:2, Insightful)
On the other hand, I guess claustrophobics will like it.
Since the fuselage is built out of imaginary stuff (Score:5, Insightful)
...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".
What if I'd like to take a nap? (Score:2, Insightful)
It would be a bit tough to close the shade on something like this to keep the sun off your face when you wanted to take a nap since it could be coming in from any angle. The first handful of times on a transparent flight, night or day, would be quite an experience, but sadly just like normal flight today the novelty would eventually dissipate.
Re:Deja vu all over again... (Score:4, Insightful)
How much were you prepared to pay for that?
How important is price in your choice of airline?
Re:I for one (Score:3, Insightful)
Maybe not, but that's not the point. With a non-transparent wall you can't see shit... except the wall. ANYTHING beats starting at the wall/floor/etc. Even if it's just a lot of water, it's still better than staring at the wall.
Painted ransparent planes (Score:5, Insightful)
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.
Re:Or what will actually happen. (Score:2, Insightful)
You won't see as much, but you sure will feel the sun when you're sitting on the tarmac for a few hours because there aren't enough takeoff slots at JFK/ORD/ATL.
Re:This would scare the hell out of me (Score:2, Insightful)
It makes joining the mile-high club that much more interesting...
Re:This would scare the hell out of me (Score:2, Insightful)
I know you are joking, but I guess in reality when people look at the floor in such airplanes the only thing they will see is their luggage...
Now, that might be a good idea so that you can check that the airline is (or is not...) uploading your luggage before take off.
Glare...? (Score:3, Insightful)
I often have to take sunglasses on board during daytime flights -- the bright sunlight gives me a cracking headache, even with just the small windows. Increasing the light reaching the interior isn't going to make that any better...
HAL.