Aircraft

Micronautix Triton concept aircraft: Passengers get a front seat too

Micronautix Triton concept aircraft: Passengers get a front seat too
Micronautix Triton concept: front seats for all
Micronautix Triton concept: front seats for all
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With a 42-foot wingspan, the Triton will be powered by a 450-horsepower Rolls Royce turboprop
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With a 42-foot wingspan, the Triton will be powered by a 450-horsepower Rolls Royce turboprop
Micronautix Triton concept
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Micronautix Triton concept
Micronautix Triton concept: front seats for all
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Micronautix Triton concept: front seats for all
The Triton concept design aims to give passengers the most involving and magnificent experience possible
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The Triton concept design aims to give passengers the most involving and magnificent experience possible
Each wing features its own passenger pod with a full panoramic front window
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Each wing features its own passenger pod with a full panoramic front window
Design firm Micronautix estimates it'll cost over US$60 million to get the Triton engineered
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Design firm Micronautix estimates it'll cost over US$60 million to get the Triton engineered
A larger propeller will be used at a slower speed to reduce noise in the cabins
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A larger propeller will be used at a slower speed to reduce noise in the cabins
View gallery - 7 images

Perhaps one of the reasons most people are so blasé about the miracle of human flight these days is that for the most part, we're totally cut off from it. Peering through the milky, scratched glass of a passenger plane window offers just a tiny, claustrophobic glimpse of the world falling away beneath you – what the pilot sees would make the layman's heart sing with joy.

And that's the simple thought behind the Triton concept design. It's aim is to give passengers the most involving and magnificent experience possible, and maybe even inspire them to become pilots themselves.

With a 42-foot wingspan, the Triton will be powered by a 450-horsepower Rolls Royce turboprop
With a 42-foot wingspan, the Triton will be powered by a 450-horsepower Rolls Royce turboprop

The odd design places the pilot's cockpit in a central fuselage, but each wing features its own passenger pod with a full panoramic front window. Each front passenger seat has a second tandem seat behind it, though, so there will still be cheap seats where the bulk of your view is taken up by someone else's noggin.

With a 42-foot wingspan, the Triton will be powered by a 450-horsepower Rolls Royce turboprop. A larger propeller will be used at a slower speed to reduce noise in the cabins, and there's intentions to build a hybrid electric version that can fly silently over noise sensitive areas if need be.

Design firm Micronautix estimates it'll cost over US$60 million to get the Triton engineered, manufactured and certified, so it's not likely to fly any time soon, but it sure is a nice looking thing ... and I'm right on board with the idea that passengers should be able to see more when we take to the skies.

View gallery - 7 images
13 comments
13 comments
BigGoofyGuy
Perhaps it could be used as a search plane since it would give the passengers great views of the area?
It seems really neat.
Sergo Kalandadze
It's really stupid to base an aircraft design on minor niceties for it's passengers. The thing is looking extremely ugly to anyone who have basic understanding in aerodynamics and principles of aircraft design. It has huge wetted surface, enormous interference drag, will weight about 2.5 times more than normal airplane, and boarding this thing is a torture. You need 60M$ - to engineer this shit - are you crazy?
Gregg Eshelman
If the pilot has a heart attack or just gets really sick from the bad sashimi she ate for lunch...
The passengers are locked into their separate pods with no hope of even trying to keep the plane from crashing.
William H Lanteigne
I'm thinking a blended wingbody would do the same thing at a lot less complexity and cost, without the drag penalty.
Mel Tisdale
It has often struck me that the Airbus 380 could have been designed with a front windscreen for the top deck. I bet they could charge premium prices for a seat in the front row. It might even make it look nicer, too.
Ian Mitko
I agree with G.E. about the pilot having a heart attack. It seems like it would be easier to simply put larger/additional windows/windscreen on a plane than to to increase the frontal area of the plane so much. The windows you can see on the design aren't so great.
Michael Donovan
just put a land me button and let ground control take over common already
Bob
I think I could get claustrophobic in that little side pod and there would be no moving around either. The center of the plane would also block a good portion of the view for both the pilot and the passengers. This might make an interesting cargo amphibian design but not for passengers.
WilliamRich1
If you want the passengers to have a forward view then put LED screens on the back of the seats. Seems you good people at Micronautix have money, time and skills but sketchy ideas. Join the Minimalist Airplane Study Group and put your resources to good use - we have some great ideas.
Charlee
The Triton is designed around a Ballistic Recovery System which will lower the entire airframe to the ground by parachute for cases such as a pilot heart attack. There is also a passenger behind the pilot. The outer pods are 36" wide, giving the occupants plenty of comfort. The design compromises made for the passenger views, comfort and safety cost a 35 kt decrease in cruise speed, about the same as adding floats to a landplane. The Triton is designed for air tours, where speed is not a priority. Looking at an LED screen for your outside view can be done in your living room.
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