3 ms·

Seems to me a saving of 0.75% in fuel is hardly worth striking fear into the hearts of nervous travellers like me. I am nervous enough as it is. At least curren

Seems to me a saving of 0.75% in fuel is hardly worth striking fear into the hearts of nervous travellers like me. I am nervous enough as it is. At least currently I can choose not to look out the window, but being in a plane that uses HD panels that look like you can see through the plane will cause me to have a panic attack. Somewhat cool idea, but I can not see this ever being a thing on this scale. Panels will introduce new challenges like providing adequate power and what about the cost of replacing them? How often do airplane windows need to be replaced in comparison to an OLED screen? And then there are the security implications. Have you ever wondered why you are asked to raise the window shade for takeoff and landing? It is part procedure and part security. It allows on the ground personnel to assess a dangerous situation or see into the plane for other reasons. My hands are sweating just thinking about it.

nether 12y ago
>My hands are sweating just thinking about it. You have a phobia of flying. The solution isn't aircraft manufacturers accommodating that, but you seeking the right mental health services to treat your mental illness.
- Gracana 12y ago
  I would love a glass plane, but I don't think it would take a flying "phobia" to be uncomfortable with this. Besides, if you're trying to get more people to fly in your planes, telling would-be customers that they need psychiatric counseling to overcome their anxiety probably isn't the best approach.
- hrktb 12y ago
  I think more people have some level of this phobia that one would expect. Also people have a trust problem regarding airplanes. Not the "will it crash" kind of distrust, but more a diffuse and generic feeling coming from lost baggages, delayed flights, overbooking, nickel and diming, bland food and so on. The experience is genuinely awful for most travellers. Adding things to fret about (i.e. the scenery projection is BSOD for the whole flight, we don't know if we landed or not, etc) is just asking for troubles.
- DigitalSea 12y ago
  I have a phobia of flying, but I do not have a mental illness. That is a little rough. The rudeness was uncalled for there, Nether. Please be a bit more respectful next time, thanks. In-fact, I am currently in Seattle and travelled from Australia, 13 hours on a plane to LA and then 2.5 hours on a plane from LA to Seattle (with rough turbulence). A few months ago I travelled from Australia to San Francisco on a 13.5 hour plane ride, on the way back it was close to 15 hours. Last Christmas I took about 9 plane rides, connecting flights and a couple long distance flights. Australia to South Korea, South Korea to London, London to Paris, Paris to Rome, Rome to Poland, Poland to Germany , Germany back to London and then London back to South Korea, and South Korea back to Australia. The reason I can fly even though I have a fear of flying is because I can choose to not see outside. A plane of panelled walls that makes it appear see through would not only freak me out, but what about others with actual mental illnesses? I think it is a foolish idea. I know people who are not afraid of flying who would be freaked out by this.
desdiv 12y ago
It's funny because we're almost complete opposites. Between a regular plane and a windowless plane, I would choose the windowless plane any day, even without the lower fare advantage.
joezydeco 12y ago
The article didn't say taking out the windows would save only 1% in weight. It was just explaning the ratio of weight to fuel consumption: "According to the CPI, for every 1% reduction in the weight of an aircraft, there is a saving in fuel of 0.75%." Now if you take the windows out of a plane you're not just losing the weight of those windows. You can probably make the fuselage out of a lighter material since you don't have to punch as many holes in it. The potential savings must be enough to warrant this research.

nether 12y ago

>My hands are sweating just thinking about it. You have a phobia of flying. The solution isn't aircraft manufacturers accommodating that, but you seeking the right mental health services to treat your mental illness.

Gracana 12y ago
I would love a glass plane, but I don't think it would take a flying "phobia" to be uncomfortable with this. Besides, if you're trying to get more people to fly in your planes, telling would-be customers that they need psychiatric counseling to overcome their anxiety probably isn't the best approach.
hrktb 12y ago
I think more people have some level of this phobia that one would expect. Also people have a trust problem regarding airplanes. Not the "will it crash" kind of distrust, but more a diffuse and generic feeling coming from lost baggages, delayed flights, overbooking, nickel and diming, bland food and so on. The experience is genuinely awful for most travellers. Adding things to fret about (i.e. the scenery projection is BSOD for the whole flight, we don't know if we landed or not, etc) is just asking for troubles.
DigitalSea 12y ago
I have a phobia of flying, but I do not have a mental illness. That is a little rough. The rudeness was uncalled for there, Nether. Please be a bit more respectful next time, thanks. In-fact, I am currently in Seattle and travelled from Australia, 13 hours on a plane to LA and then 2.5 hours on a plane from LA to Seattle (with rough turbulence). A few months ago I travelled from Australia to San Francisco on a 13.5 hour plane ride, on the way back it was close to 15 hours. Last Christmas I took about 9 plane rides, connecting flights and a couple long distance flights. Australia to South Korea, South Korea to London, London to Paris, Paris to Rome, Rome to Poland, Poland to Germany , Germany back to London and then London back to South Korea, and South Korea back to Australia. The reason I can fly even though I have a fear of flying is because I can choose to not see outside. A plane of panelled walls that makes it appear see through would not only freak me out, but what about others with actual mental illnesses? I think it is a foolish idea. I know people who are not afraid of flying who would be freaked out by this.

desdiv 12y ago

It's funny because we're almost complete opposites. Between a regular plane and a windowless plane, I would choose the windowless plane any day, even without the lower fare advantage.

joezydeco 12y ago

The article didn't say taking out the windows would save only 1% in weight. It was just explaning the ratio of weight to fuel consumption: "According to the CPI, for every 1% reduction in the weight of an aircraft, there is a saving in fuel of 0.75%." Now if you take the windows out of a plane you're not just losing the weight of those windows. You can probably make the fuselage out of a lighter material since you don't have to punch as many holes in it. The potential savings must be enough to warrant this research.