If flying makes you nervous, you might want to avoid booking a ticket on this brand-new plane concept. The Centre for Process Innovation (CPI), based in the U.K., has developed a concept to replace the traditional, porthole-like windows on plane fuselages with flexible HD panels that can display panoramas of the sky as the plane flies.
The views would be fed via externally mounted cameras on the plane, allowing passengers to experience in real time the open sky around them. It images will be projected in 150dpi color on OLED screens, which would feature a protective layer for durability. Besides being beautiful and breathtaking (or terrifying, if you have a thing about heights), CPI also notes that the differences in light may help travelers adjust better to time zone changes and reduce the feeling of jet lag.
In addition, the walls of the windowless planes could be thinner and lighter than current plane walls, while also being stronger. A weight decrease would mean less fuel would be needed, cutting down on carbon dioxide emissions, and thinner walls would mean a little more room in the cabin. This is all still in its conceptual phase, but should it become reality, it could mean a new era in air travel.
Not only will the OLED panels be integrated into the walls, but into the backs of seats we well, so passengers can take in the view if they choose, or they can select their own entertainment. In addition, touch screens could provide passengers with information and in-flight services.
Panorama and cloud enthusiasts, as well as those without fear of heights or flying might leap at the chance to get a little closer to actual flying. Those who are a little more apprehensive around planes? Maybe not so much. While it might be a good way to get people excited about flying, they might have to factor in a separate, enclosed area for those who would rather not see the planet from 30,000 feet.
