Tantalum
Final Approach
- Joined
- Feb 22, 2017
- Messages
- 9,250
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San_Diego_Pilot
...ugh
http://www.theverge.com/2017/4/5/15177374/zunum-aero-electric-jet-startup-stealth-boeing-jetblue
//rant warning//
Article states:
"At launch, its first class of aircraft will be tiny, in the 10–15 foot range, with a 10-passenger capacity and a range of up to 700 miles on a single charge."
Okay, I get it.. people in the media are not aviation enthusiasts like we are. I can forgive them for not understanding a flight plan and making some mistakes that seem boneheaded to us. But come on, tiny aircraft only 15 feet long? Wouldn't anyone look at that and think "gee, that's got to be a typo?" before publishing it?
and then::
"Lower operating costs (i.e., no fueling) will allow carriers to reduce fares by 40 to 80 percent, they predict"
This is what really gets me. I am all about green tech, and as I mentioned in the other thread I do see a future in some electric aviation, but what gets me with this is this belief that just because something is electric it receives free energy (free financially and free thermodynamically). Even if this comes to fruition in some crazy manner it will not be 80 percent cheaper, because A.) either the power companies will wise up and create special "aircraft rates" or B.) the airline CEOs will still charge a rate very close to, but just under their competition for these planes and pocket the profit.
I also don't understand the "hybrid" concept when it comes to boats and planes. With cars it makes sense, cars spend a ton of time idling, slowing down, etc., so there are a lot of times when the engine is just burning fuel but accomplishing nothing, so shutting it off at those times and using regenerating breaking is an obvious slam dunk. But a plane, or boat, these operate at or near full power during cruise (or say, 65% to 75% power), regardless... planes rely on their engines producing power for the vast majority of the flight regime. Perhaps a windmilling prop or engine could give some juice back on decent, but that's got to be negligible
Anyway.. rant over, what does POA say?
http://www.theverge.com/2017/4/5/15177374/zunum-aero-electric-jet-startup-stealth-boeing-jetblue
//rant warning//
Article states:
"At launch, its first class of aircraft will be tiny, in the 10–15 foot range, with a 10-passenger capacity and a range of up to 700 miles on a single charge."
Okay, I get it.. people in the media are not aviation enthusiasts like we are. I can forgive them for not understanding a flight plan and making some mistakes that seem boneheaded to us. But come on, tiny aircraft only 15 feet long? Wouldn't anyone look at that and think "gee, that's got to be a typo?" before publishing it?
and then::
"Lower operating costs (i.e., no fueling) will allow carriers to reduce fares by 40 to 80 percent, they predict"
This is what really gets me. I am all about green tech, and as I mentioned in the other thread I do see a future in some electric aviation, but what gets me with this is this belief that just because something is electric it receives free energy (free financially and free thermodynamically). Even if this comes to fruition in some crazy manner it will not be 80 percent cheaper, because A.) either the power companies will wise up and create special "aircraft rates" or B.) the airline CEOs will still charge a rate very close to, but just under their competition for these planes and pocket the profit.
I also don't understand the "hybrid" concept when it comes to boats and planes. With cars it makes sense, cars spend a ton of time idling, slowing down, etc., so there are a lot of times when the engine is just burning fuel but accomplishing nothing, so shutting it off at those times and using regenerating breaking is an obvious slam dunk. But a plane, or boat, these operate at or near full power during cruise (or say, 65% to 75% power), regardless... planes rely on their engines producing power for the vast majority of the flight regime. Perhaps a windmilling prop or engine could give some juice back on decent, but that's got to be negligible
Anyway.. rant over, what does POA say?
