Unpowered cargo gliders on tow ropes promise 65% cheaper air freight
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Re: Unpowered cargo gliders on tow ropes promise 65% cheaper air freight
#2What the US needs is to fix its rail system. eminent domain the whole thing, pay off the robber barons and just run it like it matters to get shit from here to there.
Re: Unpowered cargo gliders on tow ropes promise 65% cheaper air freight
#3What the US needs is to fix its rail system. eminent domain the whole thing, pay off the robber barons and just run it like it matters to get shit from here to there.
>rail
Re: Unpowered cargo gliders on tow ropes promise 65% cheaper air freight
#4[deleted]
Re: Unpowered cargo gliders on tow ropes promise 65% cheaper air freight
#5What the US needs is to fix its rail system. eminent domain the whole thing, pay off the robber barons and just run it like it matters to get shit from here to there.
>rail Wrong niche. This is in the same market as conventional air freight.
Air freight is phenomenally inefficient compared to rail.
Re: Unpowered cargo gliders on tow ropes promise 65% cheaper air freight
#6Earlier quoted context omitted.
>rail Wrong niche. This is in the same market as conventional air freight.
Air freight is phenomenally inefficient compared to rail.
Most of the time but some remote locations it is not nor does it require rail volume.
Rail is less efficient than water transport most of the time but it does not always apply to the local situation.
Re: Unpowered cargo gliders on tow ropes promise 65% cheaper air freight
#7Re: Unpowered cargo gliders on tow ropes promise 65% cheaper air freight
#8It sounds interesting…
But it’s one thing to try and win an existential war by any means necessary including downgrading safety, but I think it’s another thing when you intend to use this for civilian freight transportation.
What’s the contingency for a snapped tow rope? Or electro/hydromechanical failure on either aircraft during take off or landing? One plane involved is plenty to handle; how do you handle two?
Light glider planes with one passenger or two is one thing, but an unpiloted freight aircraft, I’d think has greater risk. I get they might have remote operators for the glider, but some situations need proximate feedback.
Re: Unpowered cargo gliders on tow ropes promise 65% cheaper air freight
#9What the US needs is to fix its rail system. eminent domain the whole thing, pay off the robber barons and just run it like it matters to get shit from here to there.
>rail Wrong niche. This is in the same market as conventional air freight.
How much air freight really needs to be transferred by air, though?
Air freight makes sense when you need to get something across an ocean in less than a month, or across the continent in less than a day. If the US were to invest in running the railroads efficiently, getting a package from NYC to LA in less than 72 hours should be possible - that's fast enough for regular Amazon shipping. If you electrify the railroads you could avoid an awful lot of CO2 emissions.
There are currently already container trains running from China to Europe (or at least there used to, before Russia started a war). It's a viable midpoint between ocean freight and air freight.
Re: Unpowered cargo gliders on tow ropes promise 65% cheaper air freight
#10Earlier quoted context omitted.
Air freight is phenomenally inefficient compared to rail.
Most of the time but some remote locations it is not nor does it require rail volume. Rail is less efficient than water transport most of the time but it does not always apply to the local situation.
Pareto principle means you should prioritize the 80%+ use case. Most of the time is what you want to spend all your time/money optimizing while making also the other use cases possible.