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Why is there a tiny hole in the airplane window? (2023)

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Re: Why is there a tiny hole in the airplane window? (2023)

#21

Post by traceroute66 »

iso1631 wrote: post #15
traceroute66 wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> doesnt mean the inside one isnt there to protect the outside one. The inner pane is typically half the thickness of the outer pane. So whilst you could argue it cold be seen as a failsafe, I would say its primary purpose remains "double glazing" insulation. The OAT at 30–40,000ft is very low and there is a lot of combined window area. So the importance of insulation is not to be underestimated. In particular on new…

The inner pane (isn't it plastic?) is far easier to replace when some annoying kid devices to scratch their tag into it with a nail file.

> The inner pane (isn't it plastic?) is far easier to replace

That's the scratch pane you are referring to.

Yes, it is made of cheap plastic and serves no structural or other purpose other than to protect the real stuff from annoying kids. ;)

Re: Why is there a tiny hole in the airplane window? (2023)

#23

Post by traceroute66 »

HPsquared wrote: post #17
traceroute66 wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> doesnt mean the inside one isnt there to protect the outside one. The inner pane is typically half the thickness of the outer pane. So whilst you could argue it cold be seen as a failsafe, I would say its primary purpose remains "double glazing" insulation. The OAT at 30–40,000ft is very low and there is a lot of combined window area. So the importance of insulation is not to be underestimated. In particular on new…

Also if it wasn't insulated, the windows might also steam up? Or does the air conditioning make it dry enough that this wouldn't happen. Foggy windows could also affect the pilot's ability to see, I suppose the flight deck windows must also be insulated.

> Or does the air conditioning make it dry enough that this wouldn't happen. Foggy windows could also affect the pilot's ability to see, I suppose the flight deck windows must also be insulated.

Depends on the aircraft but a typical design would connect the space between the panels to an air supply or otherwise a self-contained desiccator system.

Flight deck windows are completely different, typically three layers, two full thickness and one half thickness. All fully heat/chemical strengthened with additional anti-fog, anti-ice and moisture absorption systems built-in. The fact that some of them are sliding (i.e. openable) adds to the design complexity.

Re: Why is there a tiny hole in the airplane window? (2023)

#25

Post by jstanley »

left-struck wrote: post #3

If you just want an answer to the question > Bleed holes, Captain Joe explains, “allow for pressure equalization between the space between the panes of the window and the cabin interior. Without these holes, the pressure difference between the cabin and the space between the panes would lead to stress on the window.”

Doesn't this just put the stress on the other pane of the window? I don't see how it helps.

EDIT: Oh. It helps because otherwise the bit between the panes would be at a different pressure to both the interior and exterior of the plane. It would work just as well if the bleed hole were on the outside, as long as both panes are equally strong.

Re: Why is there a tiny hole in the airplane window? (2023)

#29

Post by 0x073 »

yrro wrote: post #28

How much easier would it be to design build & maintain aircraft if we did away with (passenger) windows?

Everything gets much easier without windows, but many people feel a sense of security with windows.

I also prefer a flight without get a feeling of a flying can.

Re: Why is there a tiny hole in the airplane window? (2023)

#30

Post by epiccoleman »

m-schuetz wrote: post #22
killingtime74 wrote: post #2

This "article" is basically a transcript of a youtuber's explanation. At least they are quoted and not just copied.

I prefer reading articles over watching videos. Videos take forever to get to the point.

This is such a common annoyance on the modern internet. I've recently been playing Minecraft with my kids, with a few mods, and I've been irritated to discover that - unlike when I'd mess around with mods a decade ago - lots of the "documentation" for mods now exists only in video form.

Anyway, I built / slopped out this little wrapper for yt-dlp that I call tuber[1], and it has a feature for grabbing a video's subtitles and summarizing them with Claude, if you've got the CLI. I've found it really handy for those annoying cases where some video seems to promise info I want but I don't want to sit through ten minutes of bullshit.

[1]: https://github.com/epiccoleman/tuber

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