Flying » Inside the Cabin

From the forest to your jet
December 1, 2007
This hand-cut marquetry contains mahogany and walnut veneers and maple edging
There's no substitute for wood. Not faux finish, not photo-film, not plastic. Only wood brings to the aircraft cabin that special look and feel of organic elegance and old-world craftsmanship.
Pressure points
October 1, 2007
Aircraft cabin pressure often receives blame for passenger discomfort, from mental and physical fatigue to nausea, headaches and malaise. And while some justification exists for such claims, the subject is complicated.
New life for an old bird
August 1, 2007
Luis Mercado works on the wooden side-ledge, repairing minor scratches and bu
With new business jet delivery slots stretching out as far as 2015 and acquisition costs hitting the high side of $40 million, a growing number of buyers are foregoing factory-fresh models in favor of refurbished used airplanes at a fraction of the cost.
The open and shut case for "smart" windows
June 1, 2007
Hawker Beechcraft offers the SPD SmartGlass window as a retrofit for its King
The so-called "smart" window isn't really smart, but it may well offer a smart alternative to cabin windows with manually or electrically operated shades. With the touch of a button, the "smart" window goes from clear to opaque and back-or anywhere in between.
Cabin Tech '07
April 1, 2007
In an ideal world, you'd have it all-a Wi-Fi Internet connection, e-mail access on your BlackBerry, four bars of signal strength on your cellphone and 200 channels of satellite television on a big, flat high-definition screen, all from the comfort of your seat in the cabin. In short, you'd have technologies that would make your time in the air more like your time on the ground.
Read this sitting down
April 1, 2007
A cushion system, such as that employed in the seats from Orego Aero, uses as
A comfortable business jet cabin is important, of course, but a comfortable seat in that cabin may be even more essential. After all, that's where you'll spend most of your time aloft.
Flying carpets
February 1, 2007
Hand-sewn with silk accents, the carpet features images of alligators, sea tu
When you spend millions for an airplane, its carpet shouldn't look like the nondescript shag rug in your grandmother's living room.
Which upgrades pay off when you sell your jet?
February 1, 2007
Put a gourmet kitchen in your house and a real estate agent will be able to give you a good idea of what you'll get back from your investment when the property sells. But what about upgrading the galley in your GIV? Or refurbishing the interior of a Citation III?
Movies on the move
December 1, 2006
You want to watch what you want, when you want to watch it. That's why you have televisions in the living room, home theater, bedroom, kitchen, exercise room and den, and maybe even the garage and bathroom-not to mention TiVo and DVD players-and why networks are putting some shows on their Web sites.

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Quote/Unquote

“When you get into the larger aircraft it becomes like a hotel, with dozens of staff supporting the plane based in a galley area down below. You have very comprehensive cooking facilities, and on larger aircraft we have looked at theatres, with spiral staircases and a Steinway grand piano. The limitations for what you can put inside a plane are pretty much the limits of physics, and even money cannot always overcome that. Even so, people are still always trying to push [the limits]. ”

-Howard Guy of Design Q, a UK-based consultancy