DESIGN B R I EF
WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY
aircraftinteriorsinternational.com
020 NOVEMBER 2019
VERDICT
There’s no doubt that an EarthBay cabin would create
a fantastic passenger experience, giving a real sense
of being in a flying machine, as well as spectacular
views. The only question is whether it would make
sense for airlines to offer the experience, but the
estimated figures make the idea worthy of
consideration.
For airlines regularly running long-haul flights with
empty cargo space (IATA figures put current freight
load factors at 46.3%), EarthBay could represent a
way to monetise valuable unused space, and offer
a tempting option to carriers such as charter airlines
that do not carry freight.
The stairs would remove some usable main deck
footprint, but with a rethinking of the TTL seating for
Earthbay guests and potential to remove a lavatory,
this could be balanced out.
EarthBay is not just a fantasy, as its creator,
Florian Barjot, is an aeronautical engineer, with
experience in airframe design engineering and
metallic and composite structures. He is also working
with Toulouse-based aerospace institute, ENAC (Ecole
Nationale de l’Aviation Civil) on the project, and he
believes the EarthBay design would comply with all
regulatory requirements to obtain an STC. Barjot is
also confident that if a customer is secured now,
EarthBay could be ready to enter service as soon
as 2024.
THE BRIEF
Many passengers love the sensation of flight, and aircraft
manufacturers are keen to indulge their passion by making
windows larger. But could a truly dramatic window feature be
created that would connect passengers with the feeling of flying
through the clouds?
DESCRIPTION
EarthBay has answered the brief, and then some, with
a design that envisions replacing the cargo door with a panel
of large windows, reinforced by a metallic structure. After takeoff,
passengers who have paid an ancillary fee for the experience can
move below deck into a specially converted area of the forward
cargo hold where a spectacular experience awaits: the best view
of… well, wherever in the world you are flying over.
Each set of windows is composed of several layers of
transparent material, each with a specific function, including impact
protection, pressure sealing and redundancy. The windows are
tightly assembled on a framing structure composed of aluminium
and titanium. This structure is then fixed to the fuselage using
the existing cargo door interfaces, with the opening and locking
functions of the door removed – a process that could be carried
out during a heavy maintenance check. Further work involves
lowering the Earthbay portion of the hold, installing stairs and
air conditioning, and fitting a lavatory, if desired.
For a 12-seat business class version, Earthbay’s creator
estimates the work would cost around US$2.5 million. However, the
feature could enable smaller seats to be fitted on the main deck for
Earthbay passengers (since they would only be used for TTL), and
possibly a lav removed to add more economy seats, which together
with the Earthbay revenues, could generate an extra US$4 million
per aircraft per year. For a premium economy Earthbay, costs would
be US$2.6 million and revenues US$3.5 million, and for a superluxury
first class suite, US$2.8 million costs and US$3.8 million
revenues. The three versions give options to suit different airlines’
passenger profiles.
/aircraftinteriorsinternational.com