First flight of the Boeing 787
- Thread starter Canadave
- Start date
Meh, I'd like to see a passenger aircraft implemented using the blended wing body configuration.
http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/b/b797.htm
Scroll down for an artist's impresion.
http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/b/b797.htm
Scroll down for an artist's impresion.
Certainly less dramatic than the 707's debut at the IATA Convention.
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vHiYA6Dmws[/yt]
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vHiYA6Dmws[/yt]
That reminds me of B5 universe Earth Force ship designs in a way, like an early model, if only they flew in space....
I like
Obviously you have very little understanding of construction, material strengths, and cost.
Well why don't we go back to living in caves while we're at it.
ETA: I'm commenting on the aesthetics -- the 787 is the same boring old tube with a couple of slightly curvier wings stuck on -- whoopy doo. The blended wing concept is a lot more pleasing to the eye IMO, but, yes, it may well be out of reach technically without spending unreasonable amounts of money. I'll leave the engineering aspects to those more qualified to comment on this demonstrably professional forum on a Star Trek BBS.
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Mambo, blended designs have a disadvantage in this particular arena compared to the tube stuck to wings" design. It can be summed up in two words:
Passengers
Windows
Personally if they had a spectacular set of views on my own controllable LCD in the seat, I'd be happy, but some folks just want a window.
Passengers
Windows
Personally if they had a spectacular set of views on my own controllable LCD in the seat, I'd be happy, but some folks just want a window.
Well why don't we go back to living in caves while we're at it.
ETA: I'm commenting on the aesthetics -- the 787 is the same boring old tube with a couple of slightly curvier wings stuck on -- whoopy doo. The blended wing concept is a lot more pleasing to the eye IMO, but, yes, it may well be out of reach technically without spending unreasonable amounts of money. I'll leave the engineering aspects to those more qualified to comment on this demonstrably professional forum on a Star Trek BBS.
Uh huh. You may prefer a blended wing and fuselage; however, it may not be practical nor cost efficient/effective to build or put into service. The 787 is constructed of composite materials to be lighter and more fuel efficient, the latter being a key goal.
An example of inefficient is the Concord. Radical when it first rolled out but eventually it became to costly to operate, which is a shame as I'd pony up the extra money to get to Europe in an hour instead of 8 hours.
It'd be a nice feature if they could have one or two feeds from external cameras on present-day aircraft -- one in the nose and one high up in the tail say.
With the blended-wing design, they were talking of up to 1000 passengers on two decks. I guess the 1st class passengers would get the window seats, and coach could have LCDs as you say. There was talk of a plane being developed along these lines a few years ago but it as stated that there were too many negative factors -- needing new gates at termini, wider runways, larger termini even, the new technologies required to support a large pressurised volume, and the difficulty of evacuating so many passengers in an emergency. And, of course, there just isn't the economic justification. It would most likely kill off any manufacturer that went that route if the shareholders didn't sack the directors first.
Nice looking planes though...
With the blended-wing design, they were talking of up to 1000 passengers on two decks. I guess the 1st class passengers would get the window seats, and coach could have LCDs as you say. There was talk of a plane being developed along these lines a few years ago but it as stated that there were too many negative factors -- needing new gates at termini, wider runways, larger termini even, the new technologies required to support a large pressurised volume, and the difficulty of evacuating so many passengers in an emergency. And, of course, there just isn't the economic justification. It would most likely kill off any manufacturer that went that route if the shareholders didn't sack the directors first.
Nice looking planes though...
Air France crashing one didn't help either. I think Branson expressed interest in taking over BA's fleet but wasn't allowed to.
See, you basically answered your own questions, addressed statements I made, and even brought up other issues -- safety and economics will always triumph. This is where function is more critical over form.
I love that vid...
Branson found his answer... look up his plans for VG's SpaceShipThree.
Most window seats on smaller craft (which most of the domestic travel is on) have a view of the wing.
"DID YOU SEE THAT?!?!? THERE'S SOMETHING OUT THERE...ON THE WING!!!!"
And it's damn COMFORTING to be able to glance out every now and again and make SURE that wing is still there. You, of ALL people, should be able to appreciate that, Squig.
Fun fact: Cessna trainers use the high-wing design specifically to provide the pilot and passengers with a better view.
The downside is, the wing blocks the pilot's view of the runway while turning base-to-final.
Oh, I quite suspect the bearded one of being the original man who fell to Earth.
Yeah I know most airline passengers get a nice view of aluminum. My point was more about the view being OUT rather than DOWN.
I suspect a closed box with screens might make some borderline claustrophobes antsy.BTW, I'd be exstatic if someone could eradicate the Jetstream 31 from everyones inventory. Riding in that thing makes me remember the Ford Pinto, for some reason. LOL
I saw this thing in Popular Mechanics once, it was a monster sized airplane with THREE fuselages, right next to each other. If that had ever been built, it would have looked scary and hilarious at the same time...
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