Visual diary of red eye
 

Blogger Christoph Niemann did a visual diary of a red eye he took from New York to Berlin, with a layover in London:

http://niemann.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/03/red-eye/?hp

That was great ...

Does anyone know what the purpose of the window hole is? I have often wondered that myself (see second-to-last illustration).

I've always assumed it was to allow the pressure to equalise between the cabin and the gap between the inner and outer window panes. The inner pane always seems to be quite weak, and presumably only there to prevent passengers from damaging the surface of the outer pane (which is the one which actually matters). If there was no hole, the pressure differential might burst the weak inner pane. All this is just conjecture, however...

It's true that double pane insulated glass such as you see in houses and offices these days can break if transported by air. Pressure differentials can also form as the window heats up. Valves are sometimes incorporated into the seal between panes to allow the pressure to equalize.

Back on topic, strictly speaking...
I'm a big fan of the Niemann blog. For those who are not familiar with it I suggest taking time to view some of his older posts as well.

If you have a travel question, odds are it's been asked and answered on FT.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...ml#post3186761

My favorite answer is post 11, which indicates the hole is a snowflake generator. :D

I was just coming here to post this. It is the best explanation of steerage I can give my non-traveling (or upper class) friends. Add in the bad movies you get to catch up on, the flatulent row mate, and the rare glimpse of the aurora out the window and it's perfect.

That really is excellent.

<sigh>

I just did my first-ever *A award trip: around-the-world in F! Alas, this excellent blog reminds me of how I will typically fly going forward... :(