Cabins and Furnishings

PASSENGER cabins have to encompass such a wide range of customer options and facilities tailored to the duration of journeys and the size of the aircraft as well as providing the latest in advanced materials that the precise definition of an airline's requirements can be a task of some complexity. Always of the highest importance but achieving a greater significance than ever before because of recent events, safety and survival requirements in the cabin are the subject of current and future legislation to improve conditions in the event of an accident. Noise level is also a major consideration and passengers accustomed to ‘turbo‐fan’ environments have found propeller noise to be sometimes an unpleasant experience. With modern technology, this situation has gradually improved and current turboprop aircraft such as the new Fokker 50 not only use a Dowty‐Rotol propeller with low blade loading and low tip speed to reduce noise, but also make use of a ‘floating interior’. This means that the aircraft's interior is completely self‐contained and forms a shell which is flexibly attached to the fuselage by rubber mountings. By this means, any possibility of excitation of the shell by the vibrating fuselage structure is avoided.