Airbus Wants to Build Invisible Passenger Planes

Bombers and helicopters sometimes have transparent floor in the cockpit. I don't remember any pilot expressed much joy from this feature.

reply to post by davespanners


It goes further than that....real transparent aluminium

Originally posted by Intelearthling
I don't want to bust a bubble on anyones fantasy but wouldn't the passengers luggage have to be rendered invisible to look throught the floor of an airliner? What about the bulkheads, wiring, insulation and interior panels?

It really doesn't make any sense does it. I mean, there's the carpet, then the floorboards. After that there are the walls of the luggage compartment and if you're sitting in the middle, then there are the fuel tanks below you. Even with the walls, you still have to deal with the plastic/composite sidewall covers and then the insulation that's between them and the fuselage. Just because the fuselage can go transparent, doesn't mean all this other stuff will magically become see through as well.

I just don't see how making the fuselage transparent is going to do anything for the passengers inside, unless Airbus plans to completely reinvent how aircraft interiors are put together, but I don't see that happening.