Extra-Large Windows

Nothing creates a feeling of space in a room like a big window, and that’s especially true when you have an expansive view—and it’s hard to beat the view from a jet, flying five miles or more above the planet. But installing windows in a jet is an engineering challenge. The windows must be able to withstand constantly changing pressures, from sea level to 40,000 feet or more, plus substantial differences in the pressures inside and outside the cabin. The bigger the window, the more difficult it is to make it work.

That challenge was taken on by Fokker Technologies, a division of GKN Aerospace, based in Worcestershire, England. Fokker worked with Boeing Business Jets to develop the SkyView Panoramic Window, the biggest window available for jets. At 54.5 inches by 19.5 inches, the window is about three times the width of a standard window, and 40 percent taller. Up to four of the windows can be installed, in locations aft of the wing.

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Photo: Courtesy Boeing Business Jets