> “Self-flying aircraft is so much easier than what the auto companies are trying to do with self-driving cars” I guess until everybody starts using them :)
Because there is no terrain to worry about.
Larry Page’s startups working on flying cars
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Re: Larry Page’s startups working on flying cars
#92We'll all be happier and healthier and have more money for other stuff if we build our cities around walking, biking, and shared transit. Suburbs = unhealthy, inefficient, unhappy (it has been studied - look it up don't just comment reply "I love the suburbs and my driving my Model X everywhere").
Re: Larry Page’s startups working on flying cars
#93As long as there's the FAA involved, flying cars are a stupid idea. They are shitty cars if they're any good at being airplanes, and they're underperforming and over-priced airplanes just because they can somewhat function as a car. Now, if Larry Page's flying car company is also lobbying to gut the FAA's ability to regulate his creation, that's a whole other can of worms. I don't think personal flight devices are a…
Flying cars would be a product for the world market. The FAA only controls a small part of that airspace.
Maybe the .001% of people in the world market, and even then, of those people, approximately a much smaller amount would be capable of flying such a vehicle properly. They might be financially able to purchase, but will they be competent enough not to crash it within the first month? I seem to recall Dodge Vipers being notorious for being crashed within the first week of ownership due to lack of proper training (which was subsequently provided in advance of delivery IIRC). We're talking airplanes here.
Obviously the FAA doesn't control global airspace, as evidenced by a Malaysia Air passenger jet flying over an active combat zone and being shot out of the sky by a SAM. Sometimes the FAA does good work. Sometimes not, but it's definitely the foremost "authority" in aviation.
Re: Larry Page’s startups working on flying cars
#94It's great seeing a strong push toward aviation as a superior method of transportation. One of the side effects will be people gradual spreading out, away from huge city congestion, which is largely set up due to our transportation. It will enable us to live more in tune with nature, while not giving up the conveniences of having everything we need within short distance. I touched upon this in a blog post: https://medium.com/@eblanshey/the-world-is-undergoing-massiv...
Re: Larry Page’s startups working on flying cars
#95Earlier quoted context omitted.
Admittedly it is the kind of argument that needs some justification. Roughly what I mean is, a car in the middle of the desert will just roll until it stops because there is a lot of friction between the tires and the ground. By contrast a plane flying above the desert left to its own will crash and burn, because the dissipation of energy occurs at the end of its trajectory.
> a car in the middle of the desert will just roll until it stops And an airplane will glide pretty far until it stops. Every single pilot has practical first-hand experience with unpowered landings- they're on the curriculum when you're getting your license. It's a remarkably survivable thing to do, especially in a desert with a road like your example.
> Every single pilot has practical first-hand experience with unpowered landing
Considering many people can barely handle driving normal cars correctly, the number of average flying-car consumers that will have airplane pilot-level training, knowledge, skill, and maintain sanity in emergency situations like unpowered landings is minuscule.
Re: Larry Page’s startups working on flying cars
#96Earlier quoted context omitted.
>>In the meantime try to get new helicopter landing sites approved in your neighborhood. Which takes us right back to the noise issue which needs to be solved, first. 'Till then, no way. Helicopters (nicknamed 'choppers' for good reason) buzzing over neighborhoods aren't exactly the average homeowner's dream. The "whapwhapwhapwhap" of a helicopter overhead, reverberating through a home, is just as desirable as open-p…
I don't think cities have the ability to regulate helicopters. Airspace is regulated by the FAA, which pre-empts the states from regulating them further. I remember reading an article about some city where helicopter noise had become a problem and they couldn't do much about it. Although I suppose with enough complaints the FAA might change their rules.
Surely they can regulate use of land. What good is your helicopter without a helipad?
Re: Larry Page’s startups working on flying cars
#97It almost has to be a vertical lift/land shuttle type of thing to work. I don't see it being able to land in cities any other way. Very cool though, freedom in a whole other dimension.
Re: Larry Page’s startups working on flying cars
#98Earlier quoted context omitted.
Flying cars would be a product for the world market. The FAA only controls a small part of that airspace.
Maybe the .001% of people in the world market, and even then, of those people, approximately a much smaller amount would be capable of flying such a vehicle properly. They might be financially able to purchase, but will they be competent enough not to crash it within the first month? I seem to recall Dodge Vipers being notorious for being crashed within the first week of ownership due to lack of proper training (whic…
The article implies that these vehicles would be autonomous.
Re: Larry Page’s startups working on flying cars
#99Helicopters and small planes already exist. We might have autonomous helicopters and small planes in the future, but flying car concept is flawed and not because it's hard to build one. - Preflight checks and flight safety. Larry should first build normal small aircraft that can do without constant manual checks before flight. This is actually good subgoal to work with even without flying cars in mind. Reliable infra…
So lets get silly here; granted I wanted a flying car ever since seeing a Spinner in Blade Runner.
Deploy a balloon above the vehicle when not under power which reuses the helium when not moving beyond a set speed. Pretty sure it can be an airfoil in itself and compact enough to sit above the craft. When transitioning to full on flight it can be partially deflated to reduce its air resistance but still retain the shape needed for lift. Plus why do these air cars need such high speeds when flying?
Since I am not a wiz at these things I am not sure how much balloon you need to compensate sufficiently for the vehicle weight. You don't need to compensate all of it, just enough so that when all power fails you don't hit the ground beyond the means of the occupants to survive. With modern electronics losing power at altitude should allow a glide landing.
Re: Larry Page’s startups working on flying cars
#100It's great seeing a strong push toward aviation as a superior method of transportation. One of the side effects will be people gradual spreading out, away from huge city congestion, which is largely set up due to our transportation. It will enable us to live more in tune with nature, while not giving up the conveniences of having everything we need within short distance. I touched upon this in a blog post: https://me…
What if what we need is frequent in person interaction with other people?
Spreading out further and further, eating up arable land with exurban homes, putting more distance between ourselves and others. It seems unhealthy for us and the "nature" you want to be in tune with.
"Across the study period, 66 595 youths died by suicide, and rural suicide rates were nearly double those of urban areas for both males (19.93 and 10.31 per 100 000, respectively) and females (4.40 and 2.39 per 100 000, respectively)." http://archpedi.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=21950...