Wonder Woman had an invisible plane, in which she could avoid detection while travelling at super-sonic speeds. While super-sonic speeds are not yet a reality, technology is in development which could give aircraft passengers a clear view of the outside world – although this may not be comforting news for those who are scared of flying. Smart screen technology will be employed to stream footage from outside the aircraft, giving the illusion of travelling in an invisible plane.
Wonder Woman’s invisible jet is not just a plane – it’s also a metaphor for how hard it can be for a woman to survive in ‘Man’s World’. The jet can travel at speeds of 2000 mph, far too fast for the guns in ‘Man’s World’, as well as being able to travel in outer space, move between dimensions and travelling faster than the speed of light. Eventually, the jet sacrifices itself for the greater good, ensuring that thousands of people are not killed by a tidal wave.
The proposed windowless plane, which could become a reality within ten years, certainly wouldn’t be doing any self-sacrificing. The technology is really designed to cater to a desire to be able to increase fuel efficiency. Adding windows to a plane actually adds weight, but if you took the windows out of a passenger aircraft, then the effect would be very claustrophobic. This is where the smart glass comes in, powered by Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLEDS) which would show an image of the outside world, which could change perspective depending on which way a passenger’s eyes are facing. This would also allow passengers to see the plane itself, which for some will be a lot more interesting than just looking at the empty sky.
Wonder Woman’s plane is physically invisible, unlike the windowless passenger air craft, which is just invisible to the passengers. Technically the technology used on the Land Rover is the same as that with the ‘invisible bonnet’ – cameras located in the grille allow the driver to see the road under the bonnet, helping to park efficiently, and avoid potholes and other hazards.
Stealth planes are also another example of ‘invisible’ technology – although the planes are visible to the naked eye, they are undetectable by other forms of technology, allowing them to fly into enemy airspace unnoticed. The planes are made invisible by a) being shaped so that they do not rebound radar signals in the direction of radar technology, and b) by being covered in materials that absorb radar signals, rendering them ‘invisible’.
Will there ever be a truly invisible plane like ‘Wonder Woman’s? Probably not. For the idea to work, you would also have to be able to make people invisible, or else there isn’t much point in making an invisible plane. Also, the scope for accidents to happen when everyone is flying around in invisible aircraft is so massive that the health and safety people would never agree to it anyway.