Pro athletes lead a very luxurious life, with trainers ensuring they’re always in top physical shape. But they still travel in cramped aeroplanes that weren’t designed for seven-footers. Teague design firm and Nike have come up with a solution: a super-luxurious concept jet that caters to a team’s every need.
First and foremost is space. Teague and Nike repurposed the floorplan of a 400-passenger jet to attend to just 13 VIPs — namely, the roster of a basketball team, though the plan could be modified for other athletes. Every inch of the concept aeroplane is meant to coddle.
Up top, lie-flat seating and a complete absence of overhead compartments make room for seven-foot-plus passengers to rest and relax. A recovery zone offers trainers a fully-equipped training room for pre-game therapy and shiatsu massages, and a self-serve meal area lets athletes feed their customised nutritional needs.
With so few passengers on the plane’s manifest, the lower level cargo hold becomes a lounge for celebrating victories or shrugging off losses. The plane holds “mental activity spaces” for reviewing film and going over pre- or post-game strategies, and the whole floorplan is designed for easy walking around to promote circulation.
The plane is much more than a flying locker room — it’s like a futuristic athletic lab: Teague and Nike envision wrapping the players onboard in sensor-laden clothing, collecting real-time physiological data to monitor pre-game nutrition or post-game recovery. Even the toilets are overhauled, monitoring a player’s hydration levels.
All of this is, of course, very much conceptual. Teague and Nike haven’t taken the project beyond digital renderings, and while pro sports teams have aneurysm-inducing amounts of money to throw around, there’s no concrete plan to bring this flying athletic center into production.
If it does hit the skies, though, at least your favourite pro athlete will be able to leave the knee defenders at home. [Teague via Wired]
Pictures: Teague