Why do planes have windows?

[Duckster]

So if individual windows are a possible structural problem, why not one long continuous window on each side, with all structural members clearly visible?

Or maybe just make commercial aircraft out of gigantic test tubes?

[ivn1188]

@brewha

O RLY?

Yes, RLY. How many plane crashes in the last 50 years have been because of windows?

[howye]

Also, in “From the Earth to the Moon”, the concern was over the weight of windows meant to protect the occupants from a vacuum on the other side and survive the forces needed to push a ship from the Earth to the Moon and back. Given the technology of the day the weight of the windows was considerable when compared with the amount of fuel needed to put them into orbit.

Different set of conditions from a commercial airliner. The airplane windows are almost trivial in comparison. Even so, planes being converted from passenger to cargo service often do have their windows “plugged” to eliminate any maintainence hassles.

[Bijou_Drains]

I did a quick Google image search for 747 cargo planes and none of them look like they ever had windows.

[Tom_Tildrum]

@Duckster

So if individual windows are a possible structural problem, why not one long continuous window on each side, with all structural members clearly visible?

Or maybe just make commercial aircraft out of gigantic test tubes?

Just make the whole plane transparent.

[Robot_Arm]

@Alive_At_Both_Ends

Windows have NEVER been necessary on planes (apart from the ones in the cockpit;)). But people demand them, so there they are, despite the fact that they weaken the fuselage and add to the weight. Likewise, it’d be safer for the passengers if the passenger seats faced backwards; but the passengers want to face forwards.

At least, that’s what the aircraft designers say. I’ve no idea if they’ve done any research into this.

The latest trend has been to make the windows bigger. I doubt they’d have done that if there wasn’t good reason to believe that passengers wanted them.

[TBG]

I imagine you’d get some people freaking out and realizing they have claustrophobia if airliners didn’t have windows.

[Tom_Tildrum]

@TBG

I imagine you’d get some people freaking out and realizing they have claustrophobia if airliners didn’t have windows.

But you’d cut down on the number of people who freak out and realize they have a fear of heights.

[ShibbOleth]

I have seen comets, coastlines, canyons, cities, mountiains, temples, dikes and icebergs from airplane windows. It may not be cost efficient, but many airlines now charge for drinks, bags and blankets. Thankfully they don’t (yet) charge extra for the view.

[Notassmartasithought]

IIRC, the crashes of the BOAC Comets back in the '50s (they predated the 707) were caused by stress around the window, having to do mostly with the window shape. The Aloha Airlines 737 that lost about 1/4 of the top of its fuselage and one of its flight attendants before landing safely suffered from stress and fatigue around the window frames. The fatigue could have been corrected, but nobody knew to do the inspections

[DSYoungEsq]

@Notassmartasithought

IIRC, the crashes of the BOAC Comets back in the '50s (they predated the 707) were caused by stress around the window, having to do mostly with the window shape. The Aloha Airlines 737 that lost about 1/4 of the top of its fuselage and one of its flight attendants before landing safely suffered from stress and fatigue around the window frames. The fatigue could have been corrected, but nobody knew to do the inspections

Wiki on the de Havilland Comet. The quote about stress on square windows was from this article, I believe. The Comet suffered from a number of metal-fatigue issues, the most dangerous of which, it may have been, was the possibility of failure around the windows and hatches. So, yes, windows are a structural concern for companies building airliners.

[notfrommensa]

I once flew on a commuter flight. It was one ‘small’ ~50 seat puddle jumpers but I don’t remember what model and manufacturer the plane. I got stuck with a front row ‘window’ seat, however it had no window. I miserable the whole flight, partly because I didn’t get aisle seat and partly because I was looking at wall for 90 minutes.

[Leaffan]

What, has no one ever flown overnight? It ain’t exactly a great view. I’ve spent 13 hours on planes with no daylight. I’d easily be able to cope with no windows.

[Magiver]

@Bijou_Drains

I did a quick Google image search for 747 cargo planes and none of them look like they ever had windows.

[URL=“http://www.airplane-pictures.net/image6774.html”]KALITTA 747
WORLD 747
FEDEX DC10
DHL(ABX)767
NORTHWEST CARGO 747

What you see often see in the cargo industry is a purchase of used passenger aircraft when they are sold in blocks. That’s not to say they don’t purchase them new. UPS just bought 14 747’s consisting of 8 new planes and 6 converted.

[HorseloverFat]

*Well, as I said, are cameras with LCD screens not an option? Even for the pilots? *

That is not an option because there is no failsafe. What if there’s an electrical problem with the AV setup? Youre going to blind your pilots.

On top of that the cost and maintenance would be horrendous. Youd be paying more for a crappy resolution and for artificial lighting. Powering those screens would be a chore too, now you need bigger generators. Your competitors would eat you for lunch because people rightfully prefer natural lighting.

I dont see why you think there’s a demand for this and there’s no need to seal the plane. The plane’s structure isnt hurt by a few window holes. The structure of a plane is held together by its frame, not the tin that is the body. Your house is not held up by the siding and your car is not kept together by its panels. The frame does all this and it has tons of natural holes.

*the designers spend a lot of time fretting over the weight of the windows. *

They’d be fretting a lot more with a complex LCD system that can never, ever fail.
the most dangerous of which, it may have been, was the possibility of failure around the windows and hatches.

Compared to hardening electronics so they have the reliability of glass, issues with fatigue around metal, steel, and glass are a cakewalk.

[Magiver]

@Leaffan

What, has no one ever flown overnight? It ain’t exactly a great view. I’ve spent 13 hours on planes with no daylight. I’d easily be able to cope with no windows.

You’ll still see the moon, stars, and city lights. In some respects, you get a bigger feel of the size of a city by seeing it lit up at night.

[BrandonR]

Has no one considered the possibility that people with motion sickness (and even those who don’t have it) would feel utterly terrible on a plane without being able to look at the horizon or at some stationary object? Otherwise you’d just be feeling random forces and getting rather disoriented. It seems to be it would be very uncomfortable being in a windowless cabin feeling more like a centrifuge than an airplane ride.

[HorseloverFat]

Good point. My gf gets terrible anxiety if she cant look out the window during a flight. Removing windows probably has a negative psychological affect on most people.

[Critical_Mass]

I’m speculating, but it’s possible an argument could be made that in the event of an emergency egress, the ability to see what’s outside the aircraft could aid in directing people to the appropriate exit and path away from dangerous conditions.

[R.P.McMurphy]

You are transporting humans, not cargo. Have you ever taken note of the number of people that admit to being claustrophobic? It may not be rational but it’s real.

This reminds me of Tom Wolfe’s book, “The Right Stuff”. The original astronauts were test pilots. When they designed the first capsules they had no windows. The pilots insisted on a window even though it was not necessary. It helped them get over the idea of just be “Spam in a can”.

Again, the cargo is humans, as irrational as they may be at times.