Airport Control Tower Windows Are Built at Precisely 15 Degree Angle to Decrease Reflections
This next bit of info includes some surprising facts about the aircraft industry. Let’s play a game. Picture an airport, from the outside. You’re probably seeing the various parking areas, entrances, and terminals—but did you picture the control towers? Go ahead, imagine one.
Most of you are envisioning the same thing, down to some details you may have notice subconsciously but never really thought about. The fact is that control towers are designed specifically to maximize their efficacy and to avoid some problems that most of us passengers never really think about. For instance, the windows—did you ever notice how the windows on a control tower are always angled in? Furthermore, did you notice that every flight tower you’ve ever seen has its windows at the same angle?
Turns out there’s a very good reason for this: a 15 degree inward slant prevents all sorts of problems that might obscure the view of the air traffic controllers working within. This angle is perfect for preventing reflection from both outside and inside the tower—and that’s a good thing. A reflection of any sort might block the view of the controllers. The sun reflecting off the window might blind a pilot during takeoff. So the angled windows are a quick and easy fix that prevents a lot of problems. It’s the little things . . .