girlwhowaspluggedout writes:
"Spike Aerospace has revealed how the Spike S-512, which is planned to be the first supersonic business jet, will be able to fly from New York to London in half the time that the flight requires now. The plane, which is expected to carry 12-18 passengers, will enjoy the reduced drag and lower weight that come with an advanced engine and no windows:" Read more below.
The new supersonic jet will feature a revolutionary windowless passenger cabin so no more glaring sun and no more shades to pull down or push up. Instead, the interior walls will be covered with a thin display screens embedded into the wall. Cameras surrounding the entire aircraft will construct breathtaking panoramic views displayed on the cabin screens. Passengers will be able to dim the screens to catch some sleep or change it to one of the many scenic images stored in the system.
Without windows, the S-512 is expected to reach speeds between Mach 1.6 and 1.8.
Dr Darren Ansell, an expert in space and aerospace engineering at the University of Central Lancashire, told BBC News what passengers in a plane without windows can expect to experience:
There will be no natural light it will all be simulated so it will be a bit like being in a tube. And how would it work from a safety perspective? If there was an accident how would you know which way the plane was facing, and where you had landed, when the cameras have failed?"
You just know that some imaginative hacker is going to have a field day with this..."
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Murdoc on Saturday February 22 2014, @05:44PM
Looking at the thing, it has a straight wing. Is that even possible on a SS aircraft? Or have things just advanced that much lately? Still seems odd to me.
(Score: 2, Informative) by Foobar Bazbot on Saturday February 22 2014, @06:30PM
Yes, very recent advances have permitted straight wings on supersonic aircraft like this. [wikipedia.org] Amazing, isn't it.
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(Score: 1) by Murdoc on Saturday February 22 2014, @07:38PM
No need to be sarcastic wise guy. There must be a reason why they don't do this any more, so I am interested to know why they chose this design given whatever that reason was.
(Score: 2, Informative) by useless on Saturday February 22 2014, @06:49PM
Top View: http://www.spikeaerospace.com/wp-content/uploads/2 013/09/top1a_800x400.jpg [spikeaerospace.com]
Roughly the same angle as an F/A 18 wing, ignoring the leading edge extension (LEX is for improved maneuvering. Don't think a business jet will need to dogfight)
(Score: 1) by Murdoc on Saturday February 22 2014, @07:41PM
Ok, I see that there are exceptions, thanks. I'm no expert and you don't see it very often which is why I was asking.
(Score: 1) by useless on Sunday February 23 2014, @12:28AM
No worries, glad to help.