India, Oct. 21 -- Airplane journeys are synonymous with otherworldly views - from cotton candy clouds and multihued sunsets to sparkling blue waters - all framed in the gorgeous ovals of airplane windows. Ever wondered why these windows are always oval in shape? The answer is an eye-opener.

de Havilland Comet, the world's first commercial airliner, was equipped with square windows. In an unfortunate series of events, two of its aircraft disintegrated mid-air IN 1954 - namely Flight 781 from Rome and Flight 201, headed to Johannesburg. What caused it? The aircraft's square windows.

For this story, we sat down with Neil Winston, an experienced flight test engineer, currently the Chief Engineer at HopFlyt, Rob Winston, a seasoned aircraft ...