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Engineers are exploring radical new designs for commercial planes

wsj.com

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Re: Engineers are exploring radical new designs for commercial planes

#151

Post by lstodd »

jabl wrote: post #92
ramesh31 wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A lot of the reasoning for business/regional jets maintaining the high tail mount engine layout is FOD avoidance. Operating out of shorter runways/smaller airports this becomes an issue.

Isn't much FOD ingestion due to the wheels kicking up something? If so, mounting the engines in the back seems like a bad idea, as even if they are higher up than an under wing mounting there's a risk that the wheels might kick up some debris? See also SAS flight 751, where ice broke off from the wings and were ingested into the engines https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scandinavian_Airlines_System_F... From a FOD perspe…

Something like An-72.

But maintenance becomes a bitch, so they put'em back under the wings eventually.

Re: Engineers are exploring radical new designs for commercial planes

#152

Post by blamazon »

majormajor wrote: post #149
blamazon wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My experience as a frequent flyer is that First Class is the most likely cabin to have all windows closed for 100% of the flight. It's baffling to me, people will even keep closed the window facing New York on the approach to LaGuardia which should be a crime. Also Boston, Salt Lake, Hawaii, and really pretty much all places except like Dallas and Cleveland types totally perplex me when the window is closed and I'm n…

When I've flown first class frequently it was during times of my life when I was flying a lot and so had miles to burn on upgrades and such. After the first few times - especially if you're flying the same routes over and over - I got used to it, for better or worse.

I flew relentlessly for work for years and the view out the window of the plane was the one thing that never got boring or I took for granted. Actually, add lie flat seats. Everything else definitely became part of the wallpaper.

It... might have something to do with a psychedelic experience I had on a plane once...

Re: Engineers are exploring radical new designs for commercial planes

#154

Post by S201 »

karaterobot wrote: post #132

> Engineers are exploring radical new designs for commercial planes that would use less energy and lower emissions. But will passengers be willing to board them? They don't really explore the question in this subtitle very well. There's like one line late in the article about "passenger acceptability is one of the criteria built into its contest", so the short answer must be yes. I assume the longer answer is "Yeah,…

Yeah, I always roll my eyes at the phrase "passenger acceptability." For example, a few years ago there was this idea that passengers would not fly on the 737 Max after it re-entered service in the US. Which is nonsense since I'm willing to bet that 90% of passengers can't identify if the plane they're on is Boeing or Airbus let alone care about individual models. The only "passenger acceptability" metric is what does the ticket cost?

Re: Engineers are exploring radical new designs for commercial planes

#155

Post by bmitc »

moffkalast wrote: post #119
bmitc wrote: post #94

All I can think is: yea, they're called high-speed trains.

They really ought to get around to building that transatlantic track

The article didn't mention anything about Transatlantic or overseas flights and neither did I. Short, regional flights are the worst offenders for emissions, and that's what trains and high-speed trains would address.

Re: Engineers are exploring radical new designs for commercial planes

#156

Post by [deleted] »

q-big wrote: post #130
nicktelford wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A bigger problem with blended wing designs is actually for the people on the peripheral. When the plane banks, passengers further from the axis of rotation will feel a more significant change in their altitude. You literally feel like you're "falling", as the plane banks to your side. This also applies to existing aircraft, but the amount you drop/rise is limited by the your distance from the axis of rotation, which…

> A bigger problem with blended wing designs is actually for the people on the peripheral. When the plane banks, passengers further from the axis of rotation will feel a more significant change in their altitude. You literally feel like you're "falling", as the plane banks to your side. This is a problem that a market can easily solve: make the more central seats more expensive than the outer ones. If the pricing is…

[deleted]

Re: Engineers are exploring radical new designs for commercial planes

#157

Post by andsoitis »

> But a new jetliner design will likely face one of the same challenges seen in the nascent air-taxi business: convincing people to fly on something unfamiliar.

How much innovation is kneecapped out of the gate because of human behavior that cuts it down like a scythe?

Re: Engineers are exploring radical new designs for commercial planes

#158

Post by scythe »

moffkalast wrote: post #119
bmitc wrote: post #94

All I can think is: yea, they're called high-speed trains.

They really ought to get around to building that transatlantic track

China actually did propose a train running through Siberia and Alaska to connect the whole world. It would be mighty impractical to ride from New York to London the "wrong" way, though.

Re: Engineers are exploring radical new designs for commercial planes

#159

Post by scottLobster »

q-big wrote: post #130
nicktelford wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A bigger problem with blended wing designs is actually for the people on the peripheral. When the plane banks, passengers further from the axis of rotation will feel a more significant change in their altitude. You literally feel like you're "falling", as the plane banks to your side. This also applies to existing aircraft, but the amount you drop/rise is limited by the your distance from the axis of rotation, which…

> A bigger problem with blended wing designs is actually for the people on the peripheral. When the plane banks, passengers further from the axis of rotation will feel a more significant change in their altitude. You literally feel like you're "falling", as the plane banks to your side. This is a problem that a market can easily solve: make the more central seats more expensive than the outer ones. If the pricing is…

Totally on board with flying in the outboard cheap seats, at least for any flight where I don't have to sleep. Flights are incredibly boring aside from takeoff and landing, and I love roller coasters. :)

I have a feeling there are enough of us to make it work in the market and still fill planes, just instead of first-business-coach going front-to-back it'll go center-out, like a theater.

Re: Engineers are exploring radical new designs for commercial planes

#160

Post by [deleted] »

scarier wrote: post #59
nicktelford wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A bigger problem with blended wing designs is actually for the people on the peripheral. When the plane banks, passengers further from the axis of rotation will feel a more significant change in their altitude. You literally feel like you're "falling", as the plane banks to your side. This also applies to existing aircraft, but the amount you drop/rise is limited by the your distance from the axis of rotation, which…

I mean, the rise of low-cost carriers has shown pretty clearly that passengers are willing to put up with a lot for cheaper tickets…

[deleted]
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