Airbus - windowless planes and flying in V-formation?

[Pedota]

Airbus has been running a global student competition for future commercial aircraft design ideas - some include building aircraft without windows and groups of aircraft flying in formation like 'migrating geese'.

This is from The Age - Windowless planes and V-formations the future for Airbus? (http://www.theage.com.au/travel/windowless-planes-and-vformations-the-future-for-airbus-20090508-axrr.html)

Cheers

Pedota

[slamer.]

No windows....!! great..replace the cockpit windows with a multi-million dollar computer screen and 50mm composites...that will save millions..... :rolleyes:.

Funny, Boeing is making their pax and cockpit windows bigger and airbus will turn their ac into freighters (that cant see), hope they allow for some extra sickbags, but I guess Airbus will get a "point of difference"

They will need to do better than that and come up with something...new.. to get the $$$$.

But I guess their not going to tell Boeing all the really good ideas publically.

[Aussie]

Some interesting concepts... Using Solar power for electricity sounds like the best one to me. Afterall plenty of sun above FL350! :D

[Sqwark2000]

Boeing had a similar concept years ago, where 2 747's would fly in trail formation, the second machine wouldn't have tech crew onboard and it would maintain formation on autopilot using sensors between the lead and trail aircraft....

[Wizofoz]

Squawk,

In this case, the concept is to fly in close echelon, the trailing aircraft taking advantage of the up-flow part of the lead aircrafts wing-tip vortex. As has been noted, this is why migratory birds fly such lovely "V" formations.

Some tests have been done and the savings are actually pretty impressive.

I like this bit-

A collision with a flock of geese was blamed for the loss of power that caused a US Airways jet to ditch in the Hudson River in January, yet the mystery of birds continues to fascinate designers after more than a century of powered flight.



What the hell does that have to do with the contents of the article? Is he suggesting the A320 was formating with the Geese? Or that aircraft designers should ignore birds as pay-back for bird-strike accident???:rolleyes:

[aulglarse]

AUSSIE, hope you don't get BOC flying!:}

[Pedota]

I often wonder how much the average punter cares about what is going on outside the aircraft . . . some just seem to bury their heads in whatever during take-off, climb, cruise, descent and landing.

It is not the first time that I have thought about providing selectable images for those who are interested. I do recall flying on aircraft with cameras in the ‘belly’ for cruise and more in the nose gear for take off and landing – these were in the USA and SE Asia.

And for that matter – I used to enjoy being able to listen to the ATC chatter on one of the audio channels when flying American across the USA.

Maybe the windowless plane has potential so long as other ‘sensory’ devices are provided?

Cheers

Pedota

[ReverseFlight]

Windowless is not a problem - everyone has their own LCD screens anyway these days. Just switch to the cam channel.

JAL has for years provided real time cams pointing downwards (aerial views of terrain) and forward views (looking at an ILS touchdown plus taxiing all the way to stopping at the gate). Great stuff.

[Aussie]

When i flew EK from SYD - DXB a couple years back now, they had the Forward and downwards cams showing, however they turned it off before landing with the rest of the IFE!?????

Missed the best part! Kinda disappointing!