LONG-HAUL AIRPLANE
A long-haul airplane has a private cabin for the pilots within a storage compartment disposed on a floor below the flight deck. The private cabin is in communication with the flight deck through an opening in the floor.
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It is known that long-haul airplanes may require two flight crews when the distances they are traveling are particularly long. It is therefore indispensable that they comprise a private rest cabin in which one of said crews—which comprises at least two pilots—may rest while the other crew flies the airplane. As a general rule, such a rest cabin is disposed in a commercial zone, for example behind the cockpit or in the tail of the aircraft, which has the disadvantage of obliging the pilots to pass through the passenger cabin to go from the flight deck to the rest cabin and to return therefrom. In addition, in such a disposition, said rest cabin occupies a portion of said commercial zone, so that a certain number of passenger seats, usually of the order of 6 to 8, are removed in consequence.
The purpose of the present invention is to remedy these disadvantages.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONFor this purpose, according to the invention, the long-haul airplane that comprises a private cabin for the pilots and whose flight deck is disposed on a floor below which there is a storage compartment, is noteworthy in that said private cabin is arranged in said storage compartment and is in communication with said flight deck through at least one opening made in said floor.
Thus, said pilots may pass directly from the flight deck into the private cabin, and vice versa, without passing through the passenger cabin. The present invention can therefore be used to isolate all the flight crews from the rest of the aircraft by geographically grouping the pilots, flight function and rest function together. Furthermore, the disposition of the private cabin according to the invention makes it possible to gain volume and seats in the commercial zone, this gain naturally being economically valuable for the airline operating the aircraft.
It will be noted that, in said storage compartment situated beneath the flight deck, there is usually equipment such as batteries, oxygen bottles, the anti-icing system, electric devices, the radar system, etc., so that the presence of the said rest cabin may require the removal or rearrangement of said equipment.
Preferably, to simplify the installation of said private cabin in the storage compartment beneath the flight deck, said private cabin consists of a plurality of individual elements each of which being capable of passing through the said opening in the floor and which are capable of being assembled to one another inside said storage compartment. Evidently, preferably during the assembly of said individual elements, said private cabin is attached to longitudinal rails and/or to transverse frames of the structural portion of the fuselage constituting said storage compartment. Said private cabin is furthermore advantageously attached to the floor of the flight deck. The attachment means used for the attachment of the private cabin inside the storage compartment are preferably of known types allowing certain degrees of liberty, such as, for example, the attachment means with articulated crank arm, elastic block, etc.
To allow the easy passage of said wall elements through said opening in the floor, the latter has an oblong shape, for example at least approximately rectangular. In addition, to prevent weakening the floor of the flight deck, said opening is advantageously transversal relative to the fuselage.
As a result it is advantageous that each of said individual elements be relatively flat and require only an opening of reduced dimensions for it to be inserted into said storage compartment.
Because of the location of said private cabin in the vicinity of the nose of the airplane, the latter may have, in plan view, the at least approximate shape of a trapezium converging toward the front of the airplane.
Advantageously, on its top portion, said private cabin comprises a protrusion blanking off said opening in the floor and forming the continuation of the latter, said protrusion being provided with at least one communication hatch between said flight deck and said private cabin.
In order to allow the inspection and maintenance of the various items of equipment found in said storage compartment, outside said private cabin, and to satisfy the safety standards (for example the requirement for a double emergency evacuation route), each of said individual elements is provided with at least one opening that can be blanked off by a shutter.
Said private cabin is advantageously arranged to allow two people (the pilots) to sit down and lie down side by side with their legs pointing toward the front of said airplane.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSThe figures of the appended drawing will clearly explain how the invention may be embodied. In these figures, identical reference numbers indicate similar elements.
Schematic
In the vicinity of the partition 6, separating the flight deck 8 from the entrance 9, the floor 2A of the flight deck 8 comprises an opening 12 establishing a communication passage between the flight deck 8 and the storage compartment 11 through said floor 2A. As can be seen in
According to the present invention, the long-haul airplane according to the present invention comprises a private cabin 14 arranged in the storage compartment 11 and in communication with the flight deck 8 through said opening 12 made in the floor 2A.
As illustrated in
After said elements 15 have been assembled inside the storage compartment 11, the private cabin 14 has the shape illustrated by
Once assembled, the private cabin 14 has, in plan view, at least the approximate shape of a trapezium converging toward the front of the airplane, which allows it to best occupy the volume of the storage compartment 11.
As can be seen in
Each individual element 15 is furthermore provided with at least one opening 19 that can be blanked off by a shutter 20, allowing communication between said private cabin 14 and the storage compartment 11.
In the representations of
Naturally, the private cabin 14 may comprise numerous other convenience arrangements, such as video screens 24, tables 25, foldable cover 26 associated with the hatches 18 of the ceiling element 15.6 to make it possible to increase the height in the cabin 14 level with the hatches 18, movable partition 27, etc.
Claims
1 (canceled)
2. The long-haul airplane as claimed in claim 10, wherein said private cabin comprises a plurality of individual elements each of which is capable of passing through said opening in the floor and which are capable of being assembled to one another inside said storage compartment.
3-4. (canceled)
5. The long-haul airplane as claimed in claim 2, wherein each of said individual elements comprises one or more flat faces.
6-7. (canceled)
8. The long-haul airplane as claimed in claim 2, wherein each of said individual elements is provided with at least one opening that can be blanked off by a shutter.
9. The long-haul airplane as claimed in claim 11, wherein said private cabin is arranged to allow two people to sit down and lie down side by side with their legs pointing toward the front of said airplane.
10. A long-haul airplane comprising:
- a private cabin for the pilots; and
- a flight deck that is disposed on a floor below which there is a storage compartment, wherein:
- said private cabin is arranged in said storage compartment and is in communication with said flight deck through at least one opening made in said floor, and
- said opening in the floor is oblong shape and transversal relative to the fuselage.
11. A long-haul airplane comprising:
- a private cabin for the pilots; and
- a flight deck that is disposed on a floor below which there is a storage compartment, wherein:
- said private cabin is arranged in said storage compartment and is in communication with said flight deck through at least one opening made in said floor, and
- said private cabin has, in plan view, at least the approximate shape of a trapezium converging toward the front of said airplane.
12. A long-haul airplane comprising:
- a private cabin for the pilots; and
- a flight deck that is disposed on a floor below which there is a storage compartment, wherein:
- said private cabin is arranged in said storage compartment and is in communication with said flight deck through at least one opening made in said floor, and
- said private cabin comprises, on its top portion, a protrusion blanking off said opening in the floor and forming the continuation of the latter, said protrusion being provided with at least one communication hatch between said flight deck and said private cabin.
Type: Application
Filed: Mar 10, 2006
Publication Date: Dec 21, 2006
Applicant: AIRBUS France (Toulouse)
Inventor: Bernard Guering (Montrabe)
Application Number: 11/372,151
International Classification: B64D 11/06 (20060101);