Airspace
The Dreamliner’s roomy new lavatory
Millimeters matter in the wheelchair-accessible lavatory designed by Kate Hunter-Zaworski and her team for the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner. (Photo courtesy of Boeing)
“Hi, I’m Kate Hunter-Zaworski, Ph.D., P.E. and P.Q.,” the OSU professor quips at an OSU faculty club luncheon. She pauses for effect. You can sense the wheels turning in diners’ minds: doctor of philosophy, professional engineer, but P.Q.?
Having properly piqued her audience’s curiosity, she pops the answer. “P.Q. stands for ‘potty queen’.”
After the snickers subside, she explains earning this ignominious title by engineering accessible toilets for aircraft. Her impressive restroom resume includes membership on the U.S. Department of Transportation’s federal advisory committee studying access on single-aisle airplanes.
The lavatory for Boeing’s new 787 Dreamliner is the jewel in her P.Q. crown. In a press release highlighting the jet’s “improved access features,” Boeing boasts of the lav’s easy-to-grip door handles; “touchless” faucets, flushers, and waste flaps; repositioned doorways; extra usable space; and fold-down assist bars.
“The real estate on aircraft is extremely expensive, so we’re designing in millimeters,” she says. “The underlying principle — that you can’t get rid of seats because each seat generates revenue for the airline — means that every quarter-inch on a jet is critical.”