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Spike S-512 Supersonic Jet will have screens instead of windows

February 19, 2014
Spike S-512 Supersonic Jet will have screens instead of windows
Spike Aerospace has announced that its S-512 will feature a windowless cabin
Spike Aerospace has announced that its S-512 will feature a windowless cabin
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Spike Aerospace has announced that its S-512 will feature a windowless cabin
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Spike Aerospace has announced that its S-512 will feature a windowless cabin
The S-512 will feature screens instead of windows
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The S-512 will feature screens instead of windows
Real-time panoramic video from outside the plane will be relayed to the screens
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Real-time panoramic video from outside the plane will be relayed to the screens
The S-512 will have a cruising speed of Mach 1.6 (1,220 mph) and a maximum speed of Mach 1.8 (1,370 mph)
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The S-512 will have a cruising speed of Mach 1.6 (1,220 mph) and a maximum speed of Mach 1.8 (1,370 mph)
Deliveries of the S-512 are expected to begin in 2018
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Deliveries of the S-512 are expected to begin in 2018
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Aircraft windows have always been a sticking point in the bid to go faster, cheaper and safer. As well as creating drag, the additional structural support and parts required for windows add weight to the plane. Spike Aerospace is set to overcome these problems by doing away with cabin windows altogether in its S-512 jet, and replacing them with video screens embedded in the interior walls.

The S-512 is expected to be the first supersonic business jet, with a cruising speed of Mach 1.6 (1,220 mph/1,963 km/h) and a maximum speed of Mach 1.8 (1,370 mph/2,205 km/h). This will almost double the Cessna Citation X's top speed of Mach 0.935 (710 mph/1,143 km/h) and will enable passengers to fly between New York and London in 3-4 hours instead of 6-7 hours, and between LA and Tokyo in 8 hours as opposed to 14-16 hours.

In place of windows, the S-512 will use video cameras on the fuselage to relay real-time panoramic video to the screens inside the cabin. According to Spike, passengers will be able to dim the screens when they need to sleep, and will also be able to change the content on the screens.

In addition to the windowless cabin, Spike claims that the S-512 will see innovations in materials, avionics and propulsion. The first deliveries of the S-512 are expected in 2018.

The video below introduces the S-512.

Source: Spike Aerospace

Concept 2013 - Spike Aerospace S-512 Supersonic Business Jet

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13 comments
Keith Lamb
Part of the reason for windows has always been that they provide orientation for passengers getting off in an emergency. Somehow I doubt the screens will be working properly in an emergency. Additionally, it seems that the angle would be off if looking further to the front or rear. Otherwise it does seem it would provide greater flexibility to the engineers in not requiring windows.
Alonzo Riley
Wow - 360 degrees of animated advertisements!
Richard Unger
This is a good idea, structurally much easier to construct an aircraft without windows.
Thorbjorn Johansen
A couple of points: * passenger observation of mechanical faults or failures eg engine fire * what if you don't want to look out ie previously close the blinds * night flights passenger observation of mechanical faults
Ralf Biernacki
This arrangement wouldn't work as expected. Imagine a real window at seat row 2. A passenger from row 1 looking through this window would see the view towards the rear. A passenger from row 3 would see, through the same window, a view towards the front.
But a screen doesn't work this way. The portion of the video screen at row 2 would show the same view regardless of the angle you look at it.
A small screen next to your seat might work adequately, but with a long panoramic screen as shown, the flatness of the picture would be obvious. The effect would be like a long picture painted on the wall, not an actual window.
Mel Tisdale
If it becomes possible to provide some way of removing the windows from aircraft that is acceptable to passengers, then whole new design configurations become possible, such as a flying wing with no fuselage in the strictest sense of the term.
I must admit, I would love to have a screen showing the images from a forward facing camera. It would make take-off and landing a joy, especially if accompanied by a live stream from a fight-deck mike.
thangavelu-girardey
May want to look up the history of windows on flight vehicles, especially spaceflight...the notorious events leading to windows in space capsules may provide a good example.
Dave82
RE. thangavelu-girardey Could you be more specific please? Any specific missions I should search for?
anmufti
Why not give passenger head mounted display and when the bathroom is dirty it will look clean. Even save money on cleaning.' AAHHH, imagine dump of a airplane and it can look high class luxury at fraction of a cost. Better yet issue all passenger the display before they board and viola best ratings! Hey just kidding.
Winterbiker
Great idea! The same idea could be used for office buildings- eliminate the windows, put a few cameras outside and a screen in everybody's office. Everyone in the cube-farm could have a window with a view of their choosing. I am pretty sure the video screens would be cheaper than windows and would allow some more freedom in architectural design.
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