why even have windows, re new Boeing Jet

[Rob Mohr]

Why even bother to have windows in a commercial jet?

A Boeing press release makes note of the larger than usual windowns
for their new 7E7 jet. Late model jets are full of video screens at
each seat. Why not use snythetic views of the outside? The view from
a window is limited. With video, all interested passengers could see
outside the aircraft.

Porthole windows on a modern commercial jet don't make sense.

Another different but related topic.

Why do airlines bother to ask me if I want to seat window or aisle?
Why not have the seating pitched for small folks, medium build folks,
and for tall people, this row of seats. (I know, that is what first
class is about.) But it does seem odd to me that the airlines don't
bother to variable pitch some of the seats to accomodate tall
customers.

Now we have the invention of the "knee protector."

A different idea may be for the airlines to just pitch a portion of
the seats to match up with long legs.

Final suggestion. Why don't the airlines allow the stews to wear
sensible shoes? Wearing dress shoes any having to push a heavy drink
cart up the aisle is silly. Plus, stews are really for passenger
safety. The airline should have them dress for that function.
eof

[Ron Natalie]

"Rob Mohr" > wrote in message
om...
> Why even bother to have windows in a commercial jet?
>
> A Boeing press release makes note of the larger than usual windowns
> for their new 7E7 jet. Late model jets are full of video screens at
> each seat. Why not use snythetic views of the outside? The view from
> a window is limited. With video, all interested passengers could see
> outside the aircraft.

The 747SP I flew to Japan did that pretty much. There screen a the front
of the cabin gave a "virtual" forward view through the takeoff and then
switched
to a downward view during the climbout (of course it went off as soon as the
"entertainment" started).

Frankly, inflight entertainment to me is a view out the window and ATC on
the
headphones.

[L Smith]

Rob Mohr wrote:

> Late model jets are full of video screens at
>each seat. With video, all interested passengers could see
>outside the aircraft.
>
The only view I'd want to see through a video would be the view
outside the
front window. They used to have it on some of the larger planes, but I
believe
they took it out after a couple of crashes.

>Why do airlines bother to ask me if I want to seat window or aisle?
>Why not have the seating pitched for small folks, medium build folks,
>and for tall people, this row of seats.
>
And how would you accomodate couples where he's 6' 6" and she's 5' 4"?
Or families
with tall fathers (or mothers) and young children?

Rich Lemert

[Larry Fransson]

On 2003-12-21 05:13:07 -0800, (Rob Mohr) said:

> Why even bother to have windows in a commercial jet?
>
> Why not use snythetic views of the outside?
>
> Porthole windows on a modern commercial jet don't make sense.

Plexiglass is relatively cheap and light and don't require electricity to work. A bunch of LCD screens and the stuff to run them are comparatively expensive and heavy and require electricity to work.

--
Larry Fransson
Seattle, WA

[David Johnson]

I caught a ride back from Hawaii on a MATS C-141 years ago. It's
a cargo plane, and has exactly two porthole windows (one under
each wing, presumably to check to see that the engines haven't
fallen off) in the fuselage - exclusive of the cockpit. When
installed, all passenger seats are in the middle of the cargo
deck and face the rear. The toilets are on a pallet - rolled in
and fastened down. A glorified porta-potty.

Talk about "taking the tube".... Definitely not a fun way to
travel. However, the price was right.

[Geoff Miller]

Ron Natalie > writes:

[ outside view via video ]

> The 747SP I flew to Japan did that pretty much. There
> screen a the front of the cabin gave a "virtual" forward
> view through the takeoff and then switched to a downward
> view during the climbout (of course it went off as soon
> as the "entertainment" started).


American had something like that back in the Sixties. It
was called Astrovision, and consisted of a video camera
that popped out underneath the nose, kind of like the FLIR
sensor on a P-3 Orion. The view was displayed on black and
white Sony TVs positioned underneath the overhead storage
shelves every three or four seat rows. While the plane
was on the ground, the TVs would play whatever the local
channels had on. They were just dead weight during the
cruise protion of the flight.

I saw this on an AA 720B flying between SFO and Houston via
Phoenix, El Paso, and San Antonio in 1967. Since I made that
run several times and that was the only plane I ever saw
Astrovision on, I assume it was on its way out by that time.
An American Airlines DC-10 I flew on in 1984 had cockpit video
during takeoff and landing, though.



Geoff

--
"While everyone was delighted that P.J. had finally spoken
his first words, 'Give me back my zweiback, cock-gobbler'
was eventually deemed unfit for the baby book."
-- lizmo the Wonder Horse

[Peter Bjoern]

On 21 Dec 2003 05:13:07 -0800, (Rob Mohr) wrote in
rec.aviation.misc:

>Why even bother to have windows in a commercial jet?
>
>A Boeing press release makes note of the larger than usual windowns
>for their new 7E7 jet. Late model jets are full of video screens at
>each seat. Why not use snythetic views of the outside? The view from
>a window is limited. With video, all interested passengers could see
>outside the aircraft.

The Airbus 340, or at least the ones operated by Scandinavian Airlines,
have individual LCD screens in all seats.
Apart from a selection of video games, a dozen or so movies and the
moving map display, you can chose between a forward looking and a
downward looking camera. Very nice entertainment.

>Porthole windows on a modern commercial jet don't make sense.

Well, I still like to have a window to look thru, though.

Regards

Peter