Window-less airplanes

[need4mospd]

I had a random thought the other day. Windows are rather heavy and costly to add to an airplane. They have to be incredibly thick and installed just right. Why not replace all the windows with LCD screens hooked up to cameras showing the outside? You could use wide angle lenses so you could actually see more. It would be easier for the aisle seat passenger to see. They could be larger. They'd be easy to space along the side to line up with seats, and if seating arrangements changed, you could just move the "windows". You could even set them up to show views from the other side of the plane, or even the cockpit or tail. The cost saved with replacing the windows should easily cover the cost of the screens and cameras. They could also be easily replaced between flights if damaged. The biggest thing for me would be the ability to fly at a higher altitude with a cabin that could withstand more pressure, allowing faster flights.

I can see a few downsides, but I don't think they're as bad as people think. Certainly, claustrophobic people would object unless it was done perfectly, and even that might not be enough. Kids would play with them and they'd get damaged, though I imagine they could be designed to withstand a bit of abuse. There is something to be had with natural light that can not be simulated on a screen. I'm sure there are others I'm not thinking of...

So, would you ride on an airplane like that? Would you ride on it if it only took 2 hours instead of 4 to get where you were going?

[Gard]

[i_got_a_mohawk]

Originally Posted by need4mospd

I had a random thought the other day. Windows are rather heavy and costly to add to an airplane. They have to be incredibly thick and installed just right. Why not replace all the windows with LCD screens hooked up to cameras showing the outside? You could use wide angle lenses so you could actually see more. It would be easier for the aisle seat passenger to see. They could be larger. They'd be easy to space along the side to line up with seats, and if seating arrangements changed, you could just move the "windows". You could even set them up to show views from the other side of the plane, or even the cockpit or tail. The cost saved with replacing the windows should easily cover the cost of the screens and cameras. They could also be easily replaced between flights if damaged. The biggest thing for me would be the ability to fly at a higher altitude with a cabin that could withstand more pressure, allowing faster flights.

I can see a few downsides, but I don't think they're as bad as people think. Certainly, claustrophobic people would object unless it was done perfectly, and even that might not be enough. Kids would play with them and they'd get damaged, though I imagine they could be designed to withstand a bit of abuse. There is something to be had with natural light that can not be simulated on a screen. I'm sure there are others I'm not thinking of...

So, would you ride on an airplane like that? Would you ride on it if it only took 2 hours instead of 4 to get where you were going?

Then as soon as there is a technical glitch and the screens go blank or the images breakup or turn to static, everybody goes nuts

[JPrinos]

As an Aeronautical engineer, I say get rid of them. I could save a ton of weight in structure around the windows.

[WhiteKnuckles]

Originally Posted by JPrinos

As an Aeronautical engineer, I say get rid of them. I could save a ton of weight in structure around the windows.

But you also realize it would take far more than just a little weight saving to half travel times.

[JPrinos]

If you can save an airline anything on fuel costs, you're their hero!

Originally Posted by WhiteKnuckles

But you also realize it would take far more than just a little weight saving to half travel times.

[superbassman2000]

The only thing I can think of as a downside would be weight--say if you have 20 big LCD screens + electrical equipment, how much would that add to the plane's weight?

I mean, I don't know, I am just thinking out loud, and if the weight issue is negligible, then I think it's a great idea!

[i_got_a_mohawk]

Originally Posted by superbassman2000

The only thing I can think of as a downside would be weight--say if you have 20 big LCD screens + electrical equipment, how much would that add to the plane's weight?

I mean, I don't know, I am just thinking out loud, and if the weight issue is negligible, then I think it's a great idea!

What about the thin flexible style screens which are currently being developed?

[superbassman2000]

i wasn't saying it was impossible--I was just saying so long as the technology for low weight equipment is there, then it's a great idea

[i_got_a_mohawk]

Originally Posted by superbassman2000

i wasn't saying it was impossible--I was just saying so long as the technology for low weight equipment is there, then it's a great idea

Wasn't meaning it to come off as argumentative, just saying that next generation tech could be useful for an application such as this

[6jase5]

I fly quite a bit. I'm tall and always take an aisle seat. Windows on a plane are pretty useless in my book assuming that lighting can be created that is soothing, like they have on some Virgin Amer flights.

[elgecko]

You can save the airlines even more money if you loaded the passengers onto windowless buses then drove them to their destination while playing a "virtual flying" video on the monitors...complete with the ape guy from that one Twilight Zone episode with William Shatner!

[need4mospd]

Originally Posted by i_got_a_mohawk

Then as soon as there is a technical glitch and the screens go blank or the images breakup or turn to static, everybody goes nuts

True. Bonus points for rigging up the costume from the Twilight Zone Nightmare at 20,000ft. episode and have it peak at the camera a few times before the static.

[i_got_a_mohawk]

Or just run video footage that shows one of the engines catching fire or whatnot. Could actually be a great way to screw with people.

[need4mospd]

Originally Posted by superbassman2000

The only thing I can think of as a downside would be weight--say if you have 20 big LCD screens + electrical equipment, how much would that add to the plane's weight?

I mean, I don't know, I am just thinking out loud, and if the weight issue is negligible, then I think it's a great idea!

The weight issue isn't negligible, it's a VAST improvement over inches worth of glass and the structure to support it. Some laptop screens are less than a pound a piece. Something for a commercial application might come in at 5 pounds a piece times 60 windows and you're looking at 300 lbs. That's the weight of the guy sitting next to you. Add a couple servers and a few cameras for another 100 pounds, and that adds up to the two annoying kids behind you. I'm no aerospace engineer, but I'd imagine 60 windows weigh FAR more than 400 pounds.

Maybe you're thinking of large 42"+ TV sized displays? I'm thinking more of a direct replacement size, maybe a 15" screen max, still bigger than most airplane windows now.

[Relic]

Know what I hate about flying? It's not the fact that I'm high in the air and can die any moment, that's no biggie. It's the fact that I'm all cramped in a seat and surrounded by 100+ people and get claustrophobic. Take away my ability to look out of a real window and I may bite someone or at the very least, froth at the mouth.

[i_got_a_mohawk]

It isn't just the windows, I'd think the windows are probably fairly light in relation to the housing and framework modifications around them? Tho again, I'm not an aerospace engineer either!

[Jimbob Jones]

^lol. (his previous post)

I say go for it...the novelty of looking out the window goes away after your first few flights. you wouldn't even need a screen for each seat; how about a live stream app you can download in the departures lounge for your smartphone?

[hover]

There's....something on the wing!......................I think.

[MatticusMania]

Originally Posted by hover

There's....something on the wing!......................I think.

No one would ever be able to tell!