The influence of the angle of attack on passenger comfort
Y. Ping (Student TU Delft)
X. Yao (TU Delft - Industrial Design Engineering)
J. Xu (TU Delft - Industrial Design Engineering)
Juntian Li (External organisation)
Y. Song (TU Delft - Industrial Design Engineering)
P. Vink (TU Delft - Industrial Design Engineering)
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Abstract
The angle of attack (AOA) of an airplane changes the direction of the gravitational force on passengers and thereby might influence passengers’ flying experience. However, the contribution of the AOA regarding comfort/discomfort is not fully explored. In this paper, we aim to fill this knowledge gap by identifying the relationships between the perceived comfort/ discomfort of passengers and the AOA of the plane during the take-off and climbing phases of a flight. An
experiment is conducted in a Boeing 737 fuselage where 10 participants were recruited. Each participant experiences 3 setups of seats with different AOAs (3, 14 and 18 degrees) for 20 minutes, respectively. Participants were asked to complete several sets of questionnaires during each session, and their heart rate and the pressure on the seat and the backrest were recorded as well. Experiment results indicated that participants experienced 14-degree as the most comfortable angle with the lowest discomfort, which might be useful for airlines in setting up the take-off and climbingprocedure.