No, my comment as to "not for the masses" is based on people in general will NEVER be able to handle the standard air traffic rules and regulations, even in a non controlled or sometimes controlled (E, D airspace) environment. The only way it will ever reach that level of saturation is for everything to be an automated type system, at least for takeoffs, approaches, landings. Not going to hold my breath on that ever being available at an affordable level. ;)
Your points 2 and 3 are more likely to be the reasons people site as why it didn't happen, but really, do you think the average person can actually handle ALL the aspects of safety to flying? Open space, yes, most everyone could "fly" a plane, but not deal with all the other requirements. Most people can't even handle driving and talking on a cell phone. Apply that knowledge to the use of a radio (with difficult to understand accents and jargon) and 3D space with the most common problem of inattentiveness to their surroundings while talking and you have a recipe for disaster. I was training for a commercial helicopter license, but had to stop flying due to a vision problem. Our number one rule was "never trust a fixed wing" aircraft to do what the pilot said they were doing, especially in non tower controlled airport. They usually stated their position wrong, their altitude, or would just change directions without any indication. We, as the helicopter being the more manuverable aircraft, had to always handle the situations they created by their either not knowing the proper procedures, or not even caring what those procedures are. With the literal wrecks that some people drive on the road, you actually expect people to maintain personal aircraft in a "safe" manner between required inspections? They'll soon learn that a failure doesn't mean you can just pull over to the side of the road and wait for the AirplaneClub to rescue them, there will be serious consequences to themselves and people on the ground. $$'s (or lack there of) might be the only thing that keeps any semblance of safety. Fred On Thu, Jul 1, 2010 at 3:05 AM, Dave Crozier <[email protected]> wrote: > Fred, > You are totally wrong there with regards to it "not being for the masses". > It COULD be for the masses but it will only fail because of three possible > reasons. > > 1. The expense of the final product > 2. Lack of money to continue the project. > 3. Bureaucracy and greed on behalf of the legislators > > Also, not everyone wants to be a pilot, regardless of how "easy" and > affordable it may become, just as not everyone wants to drive. > > As regards to flying qualifications then the USA is in a similar state of > transition as the UK in that we are trying to relax the rules on lighter > aircraft. The only equivalent category here to the USA LSA (Light Sports > Aircraft) at present is the Microlight category which is basically anything > less than 450Kg all up weight (Passengers and Fuel). Bear in mind that this > is the only area of aviation that is currently growing because the aircraft > are new and not 40 year old gas guzzling behemoths and they also run on > standard petrol as opposed to Avgas which makes them about 50% cheaper to > fly. > > I own shares and instruct on both types of aircraft, the newer Microlight 3 > axis and also the older GA (General Aviation) Cessna, Piper etc. The hourly > cost of the older machines works about at about $120 and the newer > Microlights at about $50 per hour even though the newer machines can cruise > at 130+ knots as opposed to about 90 knots for the older aircraft. (All > prices are UK based where petrol is currently nearly $9 dollars a gallon > and > Avgas about $15) > > The biggest drawback for the flying car will be if people try and actually > use it as a car on the highway. Small bumps and scratches may not harm a > road car, but can be deadly on an aircraft so I cannot see the vehicle ever > being used as a dedicated road car. > > Training is considerably reduced from a minimum of about 50 hours to 20 > hours for the LSA and Sports Pilot license but bear in mind that there are > lots of restrictions on the type of aircraft, distances and airspace you > can > fly in until you can in effect de-restrict yourself by either passing a > full > PPL (Private Pilots License) flight test having accrued the appropriate > hours or prove yourself to an examiner as capable of being in effect "set > free". All the new regulations have done is give any prospective pilot the > ability to use his license albeit in a restricted fashion with minimal > hours. > > You say about not understanding pilots on the radio, sorry but in the > States > this is as big a problem as anywhere else in the world. I did by flight > training at Longbeach and the ATC talk was sometimes unintelligible due to > strong accents and rapid speaking, so you are no different to anywhere else > in the world. In fact, many would say that the USA has its own "non > standard" ATC communication with loads of "hey dude" type language as > opposed to the internationally defined procedures. Yes, to fly commercially > you MUST have fluency in basic English and this is how it always has been > unless you want to fly solely within your country of origin. However, bear > in mind that you can fly privately without any radio aids at all, and all > PPL's are in fact trained to do so. You simply fly in non controlled areas. > > Your comment that "there's already enough people that fly that have no > business in the air" is made out of ignorance as to the difficulty and > studying required to pass as a PPL and the revalidation requirements. > Flying > isn't any more taxing than driving a car but it does involve more study and > EVERY PPL has to undergo this with an biennual revalidation by an approved > examiner. Blaming the PPL for poor performance isn't really fair as they > can > only be as good as the way they were trained and be sure that flying in > busy > controlled airspace soon sorts out the men from the boys. I have flown with > many people for their revalidation purposes as well as new pilots who I am > training and ANT instructor will tell you that it is the older pilots that > are the most dangerous ... they literally are out to kill you sometimes. > New > pilots obey all the rules without question, it is the "know it all" 700 > hours "I've been flying for 20 years" pilot that has forgotten lots of the > basics that is the worst. Fortunately, in commercial aviation the retests > are on a 3 or six monthly basis not two years, so sleep safe in the > knowledge next time you fly commercially. > > Training, training, training and experience as a requirement is backed up > by > the insurance companies, hence the need for high hours pilots to become P1 > in large commercial jets. Flying is p*ss easy ... until something goes > wrong, then you need the experience and training.... Becoming an instructor > was the single best thing I ever did to improve my flying skills, not that > I > was dangerous beforehand but now I can better anticipate the effect of > changing circumstances. > > Also, basic PPL flying is based on a see and be seen basis (Called VFP - > Visual Flight Rules). This is the area where the "Sports License" is aimed. > Once you go to instrument flying you are with the big boys. Make any > mistakes and you soon get sent the "warning slip" by either the CAA in our > case or the FAA in your case. > > I also take it from post that you have never or very rarely been flying in > smaller aircraft i.e PPL and GA based (General Aviation) or your comments > would, I expect, be better informed. > > Dave C > > -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf > Of Fred Taylor > Sent: 30 June 2010 18:28 > To: ProFox Email List > Subject: Re: [NF] I believe that this got the OK from FAA yesterday > > Not sure of the requirements for a "sports license", but there's not much > chance of anything like this ever becoming a "for the masses" mode of > transportation. People can barely drive properly in 2D, let > alone maneuver in 3D space. And believe me, there's already enough people > that fly that have no business in the air. Some of the airline pilot > training schools have some of the worst offenders of not following the > rules. Since a lot of these schools are training foreign pilots, it's > nearly impossible to understand some of them on the radio. (English is the > required language of air traffic, worldwide) > > Fred > > > On Wed, Jun 30, 2010 at 10:05 AM, Stephen Russell > <[email protected]>wrote: > > > < > > > > http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/30/terrafugia-transition-flying-car-gets-a-l > ittle-closer-to-reality/ > > > > > > > Not sure how any DMV is going to deal with it! hahahahaha > > > > You want a license plate for a plane? > > > > -- > > Stephen Russell > > > > Sr. Production Systems Programmer > > CIMSgts > > > > 901.246-0159 cell > > [excessive quoting removed by server] _______________________________________________ Post Messages to: [email protected] Subscription Maintenance: http://leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profox OT-free version of this list: http://leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profoxtech Searchable Archive: http://leafe.com/archives/search/profox This message: http://leafe.com/archives/byMID/profox/[email protected] ** All postings, unless explicitly stated otherwise, are the opinions of the author, and do not constitute legal or medical advice. 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