4 ms·

How about... more rudder? Of course, more control surface area means more drag and less fuel efficiency. Wonder if a flying wing style craft that has enough rud

How about... more rudder? Of course, more control surface area means more drag and less fuel efficiency. Wonder if a flying wing style craft that has enough rudder to match traditional cylinder fuselages bank-and-yank capabilities is still more efficient.

Retric 4y ago
Lateral acceleration is less pleasant for passengers. You don’t want peoples drinks to fall off their tray tables for example. That said there is a fair about of wiggle room so I doubt it’s a significant issue in practice.
- midoridensha 4y ago
  Maybe they could try inventing a way of keeping drinks from spilling when the container is tipped over... I even have a cool name word to describe it: "lid"!
  - Retric 4y ago
    Lid or no lid, it’s still a problem if your drink falls off the tray table. Which is one of the reasons they say to put your tray tables in upright an locked position. But even beyond that feeling like you’re falling out of your seat is unpleasant.
    - midoridensha 4y ago
      Automakers solved this problem many years ago, by making cupholders that are deeply recessed instead of thinking that cups wills somehow magically stay in place with a very minimal indentation (see the "cup holders" on the backsides of glove compartments in 1970s American cars).
      - Retric 4y ago
        Airlines would rather have more people in economy than to include cup holders. You do sometimes see cup holders on private airplanes, but in commercial aviation the efficient solution is to avoid needing them.
        midoridensha 4y ago
        Adding decent cupholders to cars didn't make cars bigger. Similarly, adding decent cupholders to airplanes is not going to reduce passenger space.
        Retric 4y ago
        Commercial aviation could stick as many as 850 passengers on an A380-800 in it’s maximum configuration, but the most an airline actually gets is 538 because of business and first class passengers having more room. Increasing passenger space by even 1 inch or just a pound of weight per seat makes a real difference.
        midoridensha 4y ago
        Better cupholders do not decrease space at all. Some (better) airlines even have them: they flip down from the seatback. They literally take no space at all. This is ridiculous.
  - tagami 4y ago
    μg coffee cup https://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2013/15jul_coffeecup https://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2013/1...
- drewmol 4y ago
  Cut a hole for cups to sit in on the back edge of the tray tables?
  - Retric 4y ago
    People falling over is more of a concern, it would take significant lateral acceleration before drinks fell it’s just easy to visualize. As to why no cup holders, people aren’t going to use them most of the time and they don’t even help that much in turbulence.

Retric 4y ago

Lateral acceleration is less pleasant for passengers. You don’t want peoples drinks to fall off their tray tables for example. That said there is a fair about of wiggle room so I doubt it’s a significant issue in practice.

midoridensha 4y ago
Maybe they could try inventing a way of keeping drinks from spilling when the container is tipped over... I even have a cool name word to describe it: "lid"!
- Retric 4y ago
  Lid or no lid, it’s still a problem if your drink falls off the tray table. Which is one of the reasons they say to put your tray tables in upright an locked position. But even beyond that feeling like you’re falling out of your seat is unpleasant.
  - midoridensha 4y ago
    Automakers solved this problem many years ago, by making cupholders that are deeply recessed instead of thinking that cups wills somehow magically stay in place with a very minimal indentation (see the "cup holders" on the backsides of glove compartments in 1970s American cars).
    - Retric 4y ago
      Airlines would rather have more people in economy than to include cup holders. You do sometimes see cup holders on private airplanes, but in commercial aviation the efficient solution is to avoid needing them.
      - midoridensha 4y ago
        Adding decent cupholders to cars didn't make cars bigger. Similarly, adding decent cupholders to airplanes is not going to reduce passenger space.
        Retric 4y ago
        Commercial aviation could stick as many as 850 passengers on an A380-800 in it’s maximum configuration, but the most an airline actually gets is 538 because of business and first class passengers having more room. Increasing passenger space by even 1 inch or just a pound of weight per seat makes a real difference.
        midoridensha 4y ago
        Better cupholders do not decrease space at all. Some (better) airlines even have them: they flip down from the seatback. They literally take no space at all. This is ridiculous.
- tagami 4y ago
  μg coffee cup https://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2013/15jul_coffeecup https://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2013/1...
drewmol 4y ago
Cut a hole for cups to sit in on the back edge of the tray tables?
- Retric 4y ago
  People falling over is more of a concern, it would take significant lateral acceleration before drinks fell it’s just easy to visualize. As to why no cup holders, people aren’t going to use them most of the time and they don’t even help that much in turbulence.