A Supersonic Private Jet With No Windows, the future of Private Jets?
16 March 2014
If an American based aerospace firm gets its way, wealthy travelers will be able to fly from Dubai to London in as little as three hours, and they won't even have to shut the blinds to get some sleep.
Spike Aerospace is working on the S-512 supersonic jet, which it promises will fly at 1.6 times the speed of sound — nearly twice the average cruising speed of today's aircraft.
This week, Spike announced the latest update: The cabin of the blazing fast private jet won't have any windows.
Instead, passengers will enjoy images captured by micro-cameras outside the plane and projected onto thin screens embedded in the walls.
So instead of dealing with glaring sun (or having to close the shade with their own hands), passengers can just dim the screens. And if the view of the clouds gets boring, they can switch the screens over to something more interesting.
There are several reasons for removing the windows from the cabin. It has long been known that the windows cause significant challenges in designing and constructing an aircraft fuselage. They require addition structural support, add to the parts count and add weight to the aircraft. But until recently, it has not been possible to do without them.
With the micro-cameras and flat displays now available, Spike Aerospace can eliminate the structural issues with windows and reduce the aircraft weight. In addition, the very smooth exterior skin will reduce the drag normally caused by having windows.
That may be true, but eliminating windows will almost certainly kick up some dust with the FAA, whose strict regulations touch every aspect of aviation.
And if it ever makes it to market, the supersonic jet will cost between $60 million and $80 million.
Who knows if this aircraft is just a dream that will never become a reality but if it does you can be sure you'll be able to charter it from private jet charter!
Here's how the windowless cabin will look:
Spike Aerospace is working on the S-512 supersonic jet, which it promises will fly at 1.6 times the speed of sound — nearly twice the average cruising speed of today's aircraft.
This week, Spike announced the latest update: The cabin of the blazing fast private jet won't have any windows.
Instead, passengers will enjoy images captured by micro-cameras outside the plane and projected onto thin screens embedded in the walls.
So instead of dealing with glaring sun (or having to close the shade with their own hands), passengers can just dim the screens. And if the view of the clouds gets boring, they can switch the screens over to something more interesting.
There are several reasons for removing the windows from the cabin. It has long been known that the windows cause significant challenges in designing and constructing an aircraft fuselage. They require addition structural support, add to the parts count and add weight to the aircraft. But until recently, it has not been possible to do without them.
With the micro-cameras and flat displays now available, Spike Aerospace can eliminate the structural issues with windows and reduce the aircraft weight. In addition, the very smooth exterior skin will reduce the drag normally caused by having windows.
That may be true, but eliminating windows will almost certainly kick up some dust with the FAA, whose strict regulations touch every aspect of aviation.
And if it ever makes it to market, the supersonic jet will cost between $60 million and $80 million.
Who knows if this aircraft is just a dream that will never become a reality but if it does you can be sure you'll be able to charter it from private jet charter!
Here's how the windowless cabin will look: