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Questions People Ask When I Tell Them I Own an Airplane

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Re: Questions People Ask When I Tell Them I Own an Airplane

#171

Post by sokoloff »

logfromblammo wrote: post #161
sokoloff wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think you're taking into account the vastly increased battery maintenance, inspection and capacity testing that will be required. Yes, you'll save a lot on not maintaining a piston IC engine. You'll give some of that back in inspection processes to ensure that you don't have 95% of the range that you think you have. If you run of out power in a Leaf or a Tesla, it's overwhelmingly likely that the car will com…

If it were my ass up in the air, I think I would prefer that the electric power to the drive motor(s) be provided by a very reliable Diesel-cycle or external combustion generator and not just a battery pack, at least with our current generation of battery technologies. #2 fuel oil is far more energy-dense than any battery that I can afford.

Agreed. Aviation diesels typically burn Jet-A (widely available at airports, obviously) which is similar in energy content to #2 (and about 50x the energy content of Li-ion batteries on a J/g basis).

Re: Questions People Ask When I Tell Them I Own an Airplane

#172

Post by manifesto »

lutorm wrote: post #156
maxcan wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think in the past, aircraft engines were relatively unreliable and would often quit midair for reasons other than fuel starvation so there'd be some chance of the other engine saving you. Now, however, almost all engine failures are the result of fuel starvation and two engines will die just as quick sans fuel as one so the added complexity isn't quite worth it, from a safety perspective for piston powered aircraft…

Why do you say the turbine situation is completely different? Turbine engines are if anything more reliable than piston ones.

I think its because you can not go significantly faster by adding another turbine and if you got a jet plane, you probably don't care about fuel efficiency.

Re: Questions People Ask When I Tell Them I Own an Airplane

#173

Post by rodrakic »

gcv wrote: post #102
JHof wrote: post #61

I don't like all this talk of risk and death. While it's true that more accidents happen with small GA aircraft, it isn't really the dangerous activity non-fliers make it out to be. When accidents do occur, it's almost always due to some very poor decisions made on the part of the pilot - taking off over wight, bad weather/icing, shoddy maintenance, etc. I started out with GA flying and later became a flight instruct…

Very cool! Do you know if OpenAirplane.com also works with helicopter pilots?

Not yet... But we're working on it. We already have 2 Operators lined up to start offering rotorcraft rental via OpenAirplane. Stay tuned.

Re: Questions People Ask When I Tell Them I Own an Airplane

#174

Post by pilotride »

Udo wrote: post #56

I would love an app that matches passengers to GA flights going between airfields, essentially a ride-sharing option for small aircraft. Pilots could offload a bit of the fuel cost and passengers could go between short range destinations very fast if they're lucky.

i am creating software for just this purpose. please see the software page at www.pilotride.com please like the facebook page if you think the idea is appropriate for your needs. facebook.com/pilotride

michael hamlett

Re: Questions People Ask When I Tell Them I Own an Airplane

#175

Post by pilotride »

DanielleMolloy wrote: post #14

There are a couple of websites for airplane pooling around: http://www.skypool.com/ Like ridesharing / carpooling, just with airplanes. They are clearly not as successful as the car variant, but when flight destinations / times match they might offer a little adventure on the route (and one could avoid some of the traffic jams around the Bay Area).

the software i am developing is called pilotride.com see the web site. its one big difference is the software is designed for flying clubs and FBO's that rent aircraft. this is NOT a public free for all where someone posts a flight and the world sees it. this software secures all rides and members data to the club or FBO.

michael pilotride.com

Re: Questions People Ask When I Tell Them I Own an Airplane

#176

Post by nathanstitt »

scott_karana wrote: post #150
nathanstitt wrote: post #114

Hey, I own your plane's sister (N8550W). I'm surprised you didn't mention "Can you fly at night?" That's one I always get.

And what's the answer? :)

Opps, sorry.. guess it would have been good to actually answer the question.

Any private pilot can fly at night. There is a newer class of license called sport pilot that does impose restrictions on night flight (and quite a few other restrictions), but just about all pilots can fly at night.

I'm really confused by why people think it would not be ok to fly at night though. Just about everyone I've told that I'm a pilot asks about it though, so it's a big misconception somewhere. I always follow up with "Why do you think it wouldn't be ok?", but no-one's really been able to articulate why they thought that.

Re: Questions People Ask When I Tell Them I Own an Airplane

#177

Post by nathanstitt »

jcoby wrote: post #159
smackfu wrote: post #146

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most people I know who've done it are older and need a hobby and have spare money when their kids are gone and mortgage is paid off.

True. Or they bought the plane 20+ years ago and still own it. When I go to EAA meetings I'm the youngest by 15-20 years and I'm in my 30s. I don't think I've ever seen a privately owned certified plane that was newer than 25 years old. It's all around a bad situation for general aviation.

Same here. I'm in my late 30s and am by far the youngest at any pilot gathering I attend.

I really don't know where the airlines are going to get the next generation of pilots from. Of course with the horrible pay and hours, I can't blame anyone from not choosing that career path.

Re: Questions People Ask When I Tell Them I Own an Airplane

#178

Post by lutorm »

baddox wrote: post #167
lutorm wrote: post #155

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Think about it this way: have you ever had your car engine die on the road? For the vast majority of people, this just doesn't happen, even though people spend much, much more time driving than they would flying. Modern engines are remarkably reliable. And if it does quit, you can glide the plane to a forced landing. Long flights over water, mountains, or in poor visibility is a different matter.

> have you ever had your car engine die on the road? Yes, several times in the ten years I've been driving automobiles. Is that not common?

As far as I can recall, it hasn't ever happened to me in the 24 years I've been driving. Are you doing the required maintenance?

Re: Questions People Ask When I Tell Them I Own an Airplane

#179

Post by lutorm »

manifesto wrote: post #172
lutorm wrote: post #156

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why do you say the turbine situation is completely different? Turbine engines are if anything more reliable than piston ones.

I think its because you can not go significantly faster by adding another turbine and if you got a jet plane, you probably don't care about fuel efficiency.

But as you say, you don't go significantly faster by adding another piston engine, either. Aerodynamic resistance at high speed goes as v^2, so adding twice the power increases your speed at most 70%. In practice, it will be less due to increased drag from engines in the wings, more weight, etc.

I pulled a comparison from Wikipedia:

Cessna 310 (twin): 2x240hp, max speed 220mph, range 1000mi.

Cessna 182 (single): 230hp, max speed 201mph, range 930mi.

I'm sure the twin has more useful load, but it sure doesn't go much faster or farther.

Re: Questions People Ask When I Tell Them I Own an Airplane

#180

Post by rogerhoward »

vilhelm_s wrote: post #168
jedmeyers wrote: post #164

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Those are not the same "motorcycles" each year, so you cannot multiply by 30.

How do you mean? The suggested calculation is: In any given year, a motorcycle owner has a 72/100000 chance of dying. So if you own a motorcycle for 30 years, the chance of dying is approximately 30*72/100000.

If you own a motorcycle for 30 years, your chances are not the same every year - your chances of dying on a bike are higher when you're younger and when you have less years on a bike. So every year I ride, my chance of dying that year on a bike gets smaller.

In other words, the bulk of deaths on bikes are young, inexperienced, and/or unlicensed riders.

Also, bike deaths are far more likely to involve alcohol than car deaths; so if you're like me and you don't drink before riding, you've just improved your chances.

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