Split level forward double deck airliner
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsMithra M. K. V. Sankrithi, Sergey D. Barmichev
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Abstract
An aircraft includes a fuselage, having a crown section and a keel, a first passenger cabin, having a first floor, located in an aft portion the fuselage, and a first cargo deck, located below at least a portion of the first passenger cabin. A forward split level cabin including an upper second cabin having a second floor above the level of the first floor, and a lower third cabin beneath the upper second cabin and having a third floor below the level of the first floor. A second cargo deck is located in the forward portion of the fuselage and beneath at least a portion of the lower third cabin. The crown section has a substantially constant cross-sectional shape fore-to-aft above the first passenger cabin and the split level cabin.
Claims30
An aircraft comprising:
- a fuselage;
- a first passenger cabin having a first floor;
- a split level cabin located in the fuselage forward of the first passenger cabin, the split level cabin including an upper second cabin having a second floor above a level of the first floor, and a lower third cabin beneath the upper second cabin and having a third floor below the level of the first floor;
- and
- a lower hold compartment located beneath at least a portion of the lower third cabin, wherein the lower hold compartment comprises a bulk cargo compartment or a containerized cargo compartment.
A modified commercial aircraft, comprising:
- a crown section that is substantially identical to a crown section of a base aircraft;
- an aft fuselage portion that is substantially identical to the base aircraft, having a first cabin with a first floor level;
- a forward fuselage portion having a lowered keel in comparison to the base aircraft;
- a forward split level cabin within the forward fuselage portion, including an upper second cabin having a second floor above the level of the first floor, and a lower third cabin beneath the upper second cabin and having a third floor below the level of the first floor;
- and
- a forward cargo deck, within the lowered forward portion of the fuselage and beneath at least a portion of the lower third cabin;
- wherein the modified aircraft has a passenger capacity that is greater than a passenger capacity of the base aircraft, and a cargo capacity that is less than a cargo capacity of the base aircraft.
A method for reconfiguring a base aircraft into a derivative aircraft configuration, the base aircraft comprising a fuselage, including a crown section and a keel;
- a first cabin, having a first floor at a substantially constant level within an aft portion of the fuselage;
- an aft cargo deck located below the first floor;
- and a base passenger capacity, a base cargo capacity, a maximum takeoff weight and a flight surface geometry, the method comprising:
- lowering a forward portion of the keel while keeping the crown section substantially constant fore-to-aft;
- providing a split level cabin within a forward portion of the fuselage, the split level cabin including an upper second cabin having a second floor above the level of the first floor, and a lower third cabin beneath the upper second cabin and having a third floor below the level of the first floor;
- and
- providing a forward cargo deck, within the lowered aft portion of the fuselage and beneath at least a portion of the lower third cabin;
- wherein the derivative aircraft configuration has a passenger capacity that is greater than the base aircraft passenger capacity, and a cargo capacity that is less than the base aircraft cargo capacity.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.