New flying experience allows passengers 360 degree view of the clouds

Imagine — an airline money- making scheme Michael O’Leary didn’t come up with.

Imagine no more.

An American aerospace technology firm has devised a new way to enjoy an exhilarating in-flight experience, using a bubble that allows passengers to see even more than the pilot.

The invention is from Windspeed Technologies, based in Washington, which has filed a patent application for their SkyDeck invention after working on it for more than a year.

They are offering the ultimate window seat that allows passengers to get a 360-degree view of the world above the clouds all round as they fly.

With a stairs to the stars, the SkyDeck platform can also be reached by a lift, and the seats will be able to rotate in whatever direction the passengers wish to look.

The mile high club could go that much higher with the invention of the SkyDeck.

The company’s website says that, when installed, in planes, it would allow airlines to charge extra for the premium seats.

It is set to be made available to VIP aircraft owners, as well as the commercial airline industry, where it could be used as a ‘pay-per-view’ feature.

“The SkyDeck can be installed on a wide variety of aircrafts, ranging from wide-bodies to smaller executive jets,” says Windspeed Technologies.

Seats within the viewing area can be rotated in any direction, and the glass would have an anti-condensation film to prevent it fogging up, and a coating of UV-production to prevent viewers getting sunburned.

Its teardrop shape is also designed to minimise drag.

The glass bubble sits on top of the plane, to the rear of the body, to allow super-rich passengers “an exhilarating view of the aircraft’s external environment while in flight”, says the company’s website.

“Current in-flight entertainment offerings have not changed much over the decades.

“We wanted to come up with a product that would provide a higher level of entertainment to reduce the boredom of long flights.”

The SkyDeck’s two seats will rotate to give passengers a 360-degree experience.

It might even be possible to have sex inside it, giving a whole new dimension to the ‘mile high club’.

The teardrop shape of the pod does not, the company claims, interfere with an aircraft’s tail performance, although the added weight would slightly affect fuel consumption.

The patent for the design is currently pending but it is estimated the pod would cost between $8m and $25m (€7.2m to €22.6m) to install depending on the type and size of plane.

“The concept attracted a lot of attention at the recent conference of the National Business Aviation Association, in Las Vegas,” says chief executive and inventor Shakil Hussain.

With his head in the clouds but his feet firmly on the ground, Mr Hussain sees enormous commercial potential for this new kind of in-flight fun.

“A large aircraft manufacturer in Europe plans to start offering the SkyDeck to potential customers soon,” he says.