Electric aircraft set to take flight by 2026 under new agreements • Hacker News Board

Re: Electric aircraft set to take flight by 2026 under new agreements

#221

Post by bertil » Sun, Jul 18, 2021, 7:51 PM UTC

Robotbeat wrote: post #71

bertil wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Trains are great in many cases, but there’s some limit to tunnels and bridges: you can go from Stockholm to Berlin directly, but Stockholm to Helsinki is harder (that’s actually the destination that the plane is likely to cover); Manchester to Amsterdam is feasible by train in theory, but given the constraints around London and the Channel Tunnel, unlikely to loose its flight connection. Same for Aberdeen to Oslo. Ma…

I wanted to love ekranoplanes, but although they have greater lift for a given span, they don’t have superior lift to drag ratios, which is what limits efficiency.

You could imagine a propulsion or even a lift mechanism closer to what is used for a hydrofoil. Modern sails or kites could improve the propulsion and handle the drag better.

I feel like we can make fast trains really worth it, but it makes the few connections I mentioned under-supported if you want to remain below a certain carbon footprint.

Re: Electric aircraft set to take flight by 2026 under new agreements

#222

Post by bertil » Sun, Jul 18, 2021, 7:54 PM UTC

rjsw wrote: post #19

bertil wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Trains are great in many cases, but there’s some limit to tunnels and bridges: you can go from Stockholm to Berlin directly, but Stockholm to Helsinki is harder (that’s actually the destination that the plane is likely to cover); Manchester to Amsterdam is feasible by train in theory, but given the constraints around London and the Channel Tunnel, unlikely to loose its flight connection. Same for Aberdeen to Oslo. Ma…

Manchester to Amsterdam is further than the distance targeted by these first electric aircraft, getting between a runway and a gate at Schiphol is probably beyond their range too.

I feel like you could handle Manchester to Lowestoft by train, then fly over the water The Hague and finish on a train.

Don’t get me started on the distances in Schipol: had too many race to catch tight connections at that airport…

Re: Electric aircraft set to take flight by 2026 under new agreements

#223

Post by darkwizard42 » Tue, Jul 20, 2021, 9:40 PM UTC

tommi wrote: post #162

darkwizard42 wrote: post #161

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think high speed rail is compelling because of the speed and accessibility (which if built right -- looking at Japan) becomes an easy option for commute and transport between cities that is vastly more accessible than airports (Narita airport is FAR from Tokyo central) The security check in, long ticket lines, etc. are all byproducts of security theater that has come through and honestly in the US, with TSA Pre, I'…

Well said though to clarify the reason why you wait 40 minutes at the gate is probably because you have to calculate some extra per each step leading to it. You can't be sure you'll make it in 5 minutes per check in, security and walk to the gate. Also, the added cost in time and money of missing a plane is quite high compared to missing a train e.g. in Europe, so that further increases the buffer you add to the proc…

Yeah this is a good point... I definitely don't want to miss my flight and now I have a really good and predictable handle on how long security and check in takes, but I never seem to have a good handle on how boarding will go (I usually just abide by the "domestic gates never close till 30 min before the flight earliest" rule)