November 23, 2016

How airplanes are designed to feel bigger on the inside


Ever wonder why some airplanes feel big on the inside when they're actually small? Engineers use some special tricks to make that happen.

4 comments:

  1. This is all nice and all, but, really what's going to happen is the next time you get in a plane it won't look like this. You will, in fact, be jammed into a cattle car used to transport as many people as possible, as uncomfortably as possible, as quickly as possible. This reminds me of the videos I saw of the 747 as a kid, piano bar, circular stairway, smiling, pretty stewardesses. Fly on one now. Ick.

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  2. Thanks for the fascinating post! I wonder if you could do one on a related topic: airline seats. As someone who travels over 125,000 miles a year, I'm constantly stunned by the low quality of airline seats, particularly the lack of lumbar support. Severe back pain as a result of flying is an extremely widespread and well-document problem. Even if the recline is limited because airlines squeeze as many seats as possible into a small space, all that would be needed to provide lumbar support is to change the shape of the seat. Softer seats and backs would help too. I find far more comfortable seats in cars, trains, coaches, and even cheap patio furniture. With all their sophisticated technology and "customer experience" research, why are airlines seemingly unable to make decent seats?

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  3. My first thought when seeing this "bigger on the inside" was the Tardis! :)

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  4. It's no accident that the conversational elements of the video transpire in first or business class. Most people experience air travel in economy class, but that is strictly avoided in the video because it is largely unpleasant. The effects of design and form described in the video are so far removed from what most air travelers experience as to make the video seem almost like satire.

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