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Three yacht designers talk about their crossover work on aircraft interiors.
by Mark T. Masciarotte
11/01/2004
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Knowles said one of
the
biggest differences between
yachts and
planes is the critical
issue
surrounding seating on
aircraft. “The seat is
the absolutely most important
design on
an
aircraft.
Beyond the critical
ergonomics of the seat itself, it’s
your
environment,
sometimes for many hours at a time, so
everything
that’s
within eyeshot or reach is extremely
critical.
When you’re on a yacht,
you may
be sitting for a
bit,
then leave. But on an aircraft, you’re
staring
at the
finish of everything around you for hours, so fit and
finish
goes to a totally
different level, unlike
almost anything you’d
find on a yacht.”
Trickle-Down Effect
Many items now found frequently on luxury
yachts were actually introduced aboard aircraft. They include:
- LED zero-heat lighting
- Fiber optics
- LCD screens
-
Entertainment center operating software
- Fire retardant leathers
-
Flocked, formed-to-fit cabinetry inserts
- Positive-action latches
-
Nomex aluminum honeycomb substrates
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Roseman
sums
up
the task this way: “Our challenge as designers who are working
for
people who
are spending fifteen to forty-five
million dollars on an
airplane is to make
damn sure
it doesn’t
look like the last
one that
went out the
door.”
That experience is
an invaluable
lesson to
take back to the world of yacht
design.
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