Airbus' 2050 future cabin concept

no airline would ever buy it. half the passengers would be throwing up. many passengers who just want to sleep would hate it. the airlines don't want to remind you that you're flying through the air. if anything they want you to sit in the dark until you magically arrive at your destination.
 
no airline would ever buy it. half the passengers would be throwing up. many passengers who just want to sleep would hate it. the airlines don't want to remind you that you're flying through the air. if anything they want you to sit in the dark until you magically arrive at your destination.
It'd be a hell of a view picking your way through major thunderstorms. But yeah, it'd just scare the hell out of everyone.
 
no airline would ever buy it. half the passengers would be throwing up. many passengers who just want to sleep would hate it. the airlines don't want to remind you that you're flying through the air. if anything they want you to sit in the dark until you magically arrive at your destination.


Turn the glass black... but yeah, I don't see it happening mostly because of weight issues.
 
Seems like it would depressurize pretty quickly if a window blew out. :idea:
 
no airline would ever buy it. half the passengers would be throwing up. many passengers who just want to sleep would hate it. the airlines don't want to remind you that you're flying through the air. if anything they want you to sit in the dark until you magically arrive at your destination.

What is old is new again. The Zeppelin's had large observation windows. The Graf Zeppelin had to make its way through some bad weather, day and night flying, in its many travels (book recommendation: "Dr. Eckener's Dream Machine" by Douglas Botting; great account of its 1928 round-the-world travel.)

Hindeberg promenade:
big_hindenburg_promenade_deck1.jpg


Video made from a number of newsreel shorts of the Graf Zeppelin that gives some idea of the views:

 
It would be good for a few weeks. Have you ever tried actually looking out of the windows on some airliners? It looks like the maintenance guys clean the windows with steel wool pads. That glass would be fogged up with scratches so fast, the pax will get vertigo because it would feel like they're in IMC.
 
Main issue I see is weight, outside of that, completely doable.
You're assuming the materials we have now.

Turn the glass black... but yeah, I don't see it happening mostly because of weight issues.
We are just getting to the point where we have the electronics and materials to change the opacity or color of the glass. As for the weight...you are assuming materials we have now which may or may not be those of 2050.

What is old is new again. The Zeppelin's had large observation windows. The Graf Zeppelin had to make its way through some bad weather, day and night flying, in its many travels (book recommendation: "Dr. Eckener's Dream Machine" by Douglas Botting; great account of its 1928 round-the-world travel.)
I don't think the passenger sections were pressurized, a lot less stress if this were true.

Airbus hinted that there would be space for all kinds of amenities on the A380. Most airlines just used the space for more passengers. This will only fly if the airlines make money because of it.
 
Airbus hinted that there would be space for all kinds of amenities on the A380. Most airlines just used the space for more passengers. This will only fly if the airlines make money because of it.

Are you sure about that? I talked to someone recently who just flew on a 380, and he said that there were a lot of amenities, certainly more than I would have expected. Of course, his airline could have just been the anomoly.
 
You're assuming the materials we have now.

Yep... Or what I can conceive of being developed in the next 38 years. We haven't really improved that greatly in these materials in the last 38 years to suspect that they will have a light enough transparent material that will withstand both the environmental and pressurization abuse of this application, at least not while still requiring the rest of the construction they're showing.
 
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Are you sure about that? I talked to someone recently who just flew on a 380, and he said that there were a lot of amenities, certainly more than I would have expected. Of course, his airline could have just been the anomoly.
Emirates is the only one I know about with the showers and lounges.
 
Yep... Or what I can conceive of being developed in the next 38 years. We haven't really improved that greatly in these materials in the last 38 years to suspect that they will have a light enough transparent material that will withstand both the environmental and pressurization abuse of this application, at least not while still requiring the rest of the construction they're showing.
Yep- you work in R&D or you know what the various chemical companies are working on :rolleyes:

I've seen polymers recently introduced that had some good optical properties- good enough to replace glass for some microscopy applications.

You are probably correct. However, I don't discount what might be produced in a lab someplace either.
 
Yep... Or what I can conceive of being developed in the next 38 years. We haven't really improved that greatly in these materials in the last 38 years to suspect that they will have a light enough transparent material that will withstand both the environmental and pressurization abuse of this application, at least not while still requiring the rest of the construction they're showing.

Don't forget that Transparent Aluminum was recently invented, they just haven't finished the patent process or begun marketing it yet. :rofl:
 
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