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YC's latest moonshot bet is a startup building a $380K “flying motorcycle”

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171–180 of 313 posts

Re: YC's latest moonshot bet is a startup building a $380K “flying motorcycle”

#171

For me the moonshot problem I'd like to see solved would be trash. Literally! I've been to New York the first class world city where they pile plastic bags full of trash outside the houses and been to leafy suburbs in Europe where they put these bags in boxes and leave them outside too. Meanwhile in developing countries trash causes real pollution and health issues. But in all places it's people create waste and the…

> composting / incineration-generation device to convert the trash into organics and/or electricity. This is extremely widespread and already industrialised.

Yes the solution would need to be better than these as the problem still exists.

Re: YC's latest moonshot bet is a startup building a $380K “flying motorcycle”

#173

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not sure I'd call that a moonshot. Difficult and maybe crazy, but modern agriculture clearly already exists and works, unlike driverless cars for example.

I mean... we're trying to end human hunger for a few hundred million people. Thank you for believing in us? No one has ever told me that it sounds more plausible than driverless cars. I'm torn between puffing up my chest and taking the compliment.

That's a moonshot. I am a native Nairobian, and would like to know how you will revolutionize the sector. Biggest employer, biggest component of GDP but still extremely low yields, low income and inefficient with lack of adaption of tech.

Re: YC's latest moonshot bet is a startup building a $380K “flying motorcycle”

#174

I am a motorcycle nut and aviation nut since birth. I’ve also jumped out of a dozen aircraft types via static line and ram air free fall chutes. And I enjoy paragliding. There’s nothing more I would like to see than a new form of personal flight. However, I don’t see the viability of this thing at all. Likely due to my having been in close proximity to the Martin Jetpack slow motion disaster over the last decade. Rel…

Tons of interesting material in your comment. It actually sounds like you’ve just cooked up a viable start up idea. One issue I don’t see addressed in any of these modes of transportation is the enormous amount of noise the jet engines produce. Any insights on that?

Re: YC's latest moonshot bet is a startup building a $380K “flying motorcycle”

#175
post #64

With our environment going to hell, we don't need this. So much for the argument that capitalism entrusts wealth in the hands of a few for the benefit of all, or that wealth correlates to merit in any meaningful sense.

How do you do the economics on the value of the lives this can and will save?

I assume this will be worse in that department than motorcycles. And I assume they kill way more lives than save.

Re: YC's latest moonshot bet is a startup building a $380K “flying motorcycle”

#176

Please stop. We don't need to kill the planet with another self-indulgent carbon belcher. Use public transportation. Your time is not that precious.

On the surface I can’t help but partially agree with you. But one of the truly amazing innovations of western culture is emergency medicine. The time this could save in trips to the hospital could literally mean tens of thousands of lives being saved.

Re: YC's latest moonshot bet is a startup building a $380K “flying motorcycle”

#177
post #45
post #3

I know it's really hard to predict what people will or won't want in the future, but... Would people want this, even if it worked really well?

We think they will. IF we can demonstrate it’s safe. Why not use a Speeder to get somewhere in 1/4 the time

Noise.

Re: YC's latest moonshot bet is a startup building a $380K “flying motorcycle”

#178

Where are they getting the engine? You can get model aircraft jet engines with enough power for this.[1] Various human-carrying craft have been built that way, such as the Zapata Flyboard.[2] But the engines have a lifespan measured in hours and not enough reliability for carrying humans. That's why all the demo videos of these things are over water, or tethered. People have been trying to build small, cheap jet engi…

[deleted]

Re: YC's latest moonshot bet is a startup building a $380K “flying motorcycle”

#179

YC: it's bullshit that you manually pushed this post back to the top of the site after it started dropping down the front page (due to having way more comments than points). It's fine if you're going to treat posts about YC companies as ads that are immune from voting and other site mechanics, but then you need to label them as ads.

YC pays for this site. Why on earth shouldn’t they be able to re-position posts manually? As near as I can tell they have at least two full-time moderators who do a spectacular job, even though they don’t understand my sense of humor ;)

Where do you get off on telling them what to do with their own property?

Re: YC's latest moonshot bet is a startup building a $380K “flying motorcycle”

#180

I hate this for so many reasons. One of those 'future' products like clear glass screen and bendable phones that are just, well, stupid. Am I the only person that sees that?

Yep. A huge waste of resources when compared to other modes of transport. Very noisy, too.

All for an elite few who can afford it. That's not helping in saving the planet, people. Quite the contrary.

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