Algy
7th Nov 2006, 08:41
As you'll have read (http://tinyurl.com/yjjfn3), blended wing bodies (BWB) are increasingly seen as the (fairly distant) future for long-haul. There are compelling reasons why that could indeed happen.
There is a paradox though. The main objection that is raised to the idea just about wherever it is discussed, here for example (http://iagblog.********.com/), is the increased likelihood of passenger airsickness mainly owing to a) their distance from the longitudinal axis b) the absence of windows for many of them. The paradox is that, as far as I can see, in all the public domain literature on the subject (and there is a lot) that issue is scarcely or never mentioned.
If it is a problem then it does seem extremely difficult to fix it - a potential showstopper. But I wonder about the logic of the argument. Hardly anyone ever seems to be airsick these days and I suspect FBW in particular has improved ride so much that it outweighs all other factors.
Anyone have any views on this?
There is a paradox though. The main objection that is raised to the idea just about wherever it is discussed, here for example (http://iagblog.********.com/), is the increased likelihood of passenger airsickness mainly owing to a) their distance from the longitudinal axis b) the absence of windows for many of them. The paradox is that, as far as I can see, in all the public domain literature on the subject (and there is a lot) that issue is scarcely or never mentioned.
If it is a problem then it does seem extremely difficult to fix it - a potential showstopper. But I wonder about the logic of the argument. Hardly anyone ever seems to be airsick these days and I suspect FBW in particular has improved ride so much that it outweighs all other factors.
Anyone have any views on this?