The Reason Behind The Oval-shaped Aircraft Window

Have you ever thought about why the airplane window is always oval? Apparently, there is a purpose behind the design of the aircraft window in the form of an oval.

In a TikTok video post that has been viewed more than 2 million times, Captain Steve, a pilot from American Airlines, revealed the window of the plane with a rounding end first installed in the 1950s.

The window design was installed after a series of flight disasters caused by square windows.

Captain Steve explained that in the past, several aircraft were designed with square-shaped windows. However, along with the increase in flight altitude and the need for higher cabin pressure, engineers in Europe discovered a big problem.

"Some planes are designed with square windows and when the plane starts to rise higher, it takes more pressure. They find big problems," said Captain Steve, quoted by VOI from the New York Post page on Monday, November 18, 2024.

The problem is structural damage to the plane caused by heavy pressure on the square window. The square-shaped window creates a'signal scrap' around the end of the window due to pressure received by the aircraft frame. When these cracks continue to develop, the plane can experience fatal damage due to decompression.

To prevent such tragic accidents, engineers began designing round-shaped aircraft windows. With this design, the windows are no longer susceptible to cracks or damage to the angle that could threaten flight safety.

"Since then, we have never had any more problems," said Captain Steve.

This shows how important innovation is in aircraft design to maintain passenger safety.

The TikTok video audience is relieved to hear the explanation of the plane's window design which is often taken lightly. Many feel calmer after knowing the reasons behind it.

"That makes a lot of sense," wrote the netizen.

"Thank you for the explanation! The more I know, the easier it is for me to fly." said another netizen.

"I'm a very scared airplane passenger. But after watching your TikTok video, Captain Steve, I'm not too afraid to fly last week. Thank you!" another netizen commented.

Captain Steve did not specify the crash in question, but some spectators suspected he was referring to the crash of the de Havilland Comet 1 plane that occurred in England between 1953 and 1954. The plane suffered a series of air accidents that caused the planes to crash in the middle of the flight.

After conducting an investigation into the debris from the crash, aviation forensic experts concluded the window with a relatively sharp angle provides a much higher concentration of pressure than expected.

"The pressure concentrated on the corners of the windows causes material fatigue around the corner of the window. This rapidly causes damage to the fuselage," the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) explained.