trump (convicted felon, defamer, insurrectionist, contemnor, and rapist - $537M)

[bill_g]

Are you hoping that Putin will claim him as his

More that the Bering would.

That's cold.

Very.

[neeneko]

I suspect China will have flying taxis first, followed by countries that figure out how to balance the need for regulations against the need for innovation. The US will be in that group, probably 3~5 years behind the early adopters.

Off Topic

Eh, I do not see them being anything more than toys for rich techbros to show off and say 'someday!'. A key element of innovation is utility, and flying taxis do not really have much, and what little utility they have depends on very few people using them... so.. toys.

[northland10]

trump proposes a bold national vision for america:

1. use federal land to build new cities
2. develop flying cars
3. revitalize rural industries
4. launch a baby boom with bonuses for young parents
5. beautification campaign, get rid of ugly buildings

For somebody who claims to be Republican, that is an amazingly unRepublican vision. Oh, I forgot, the ideology of Republicanism has not been simplified to "idolization of Trump." Anybody in the party disagree and they're a RINO.

The vision does align well with that of various totalitarian fascist and communist states.

[RTH10260]

Did the former guy take the time to study the nation of his BFF Xi, and see what those communist bureaucrats did with building several megacities where no one is moving into?

[chancery]

https://twitter.com/RadioFreeTom/status ... 2642583552

Tom Nichols
@RadioFreeTom
I consider myself a connoisseur of Trump speeches and press conferences, and I feel pretty confident in saying that this is one of the craziest speeches he’s ever given, but at least he’s in the right place for it

(Referring to Trump's CPAC speech today)

[New Turtle]

Do the parents have to be a certain color to get the baby bonus?

[Kendra]

[Suranis]

The egergy needed to keep flying Cars afloat makes them totally impractical. Gravity is a bitch.

[pipistrelle]

The egergy needed to keep flying Cars afloat makes them totally impractical. Gravity is a bitch.

[keith]

The egergy needed to keep flying Cars afloat makes them totally impractical. Gravity is a bitch.

[somerset]

The egergy needed to keep flying Cars afloat makes them totally impractical. Gravity is a bitch.

Exactly how much energy would that be, Prof Mousie?

Show your work and your references

[neonzx]

The egergy needed to keep flying Cars afloat makes them totally impractical. Gravity is a bitch.

Exactly how much energy would that be, Prof Mousie?

Show your work and your references

You've watched too many sci-fi movies.

Not happening in our lifetimes, nor in the next 100 years.

[Suranis]

Exactly how much energy would that be, Prof Mousie?

Show your work and your references

Eh, I haven't a clue.

Probably about as much as a Helicopter of equivalent weight, and would probably be just as noisy. Father Air complains a lot when blades are slicing through him.

[Volkonski]

Is flying less expensive than driving?

https://www.piperowner.org/talk/discuss ... l%20flight.

[neonzx]

Is flying less expensive than driving?

https://www.piperowner.org/talk/discuss ... l%20flight.

Not buying the calc as there are numerous factors missing from the equation.

Hard $ cost, maybe flying makes sense. But the hassle and hoops we have to jump through as passengers to sit in the sardine cans. Isn't there a cost to being treated as cattle? That's not on the spreadsheet.

[keith]

Is flying less expensive than driving?

https://www.piperowner.org/talk/discuss ... l%20flight.

I think that is the wrong approach though.

We are talking about a "flying car". Which would have to express all the attributes of a land based car AND be able to FLY and be operated by the average 'driver'. It would surely need to be VTOL, and probably have the flying characteristics of a helicopter for manoeuvrability. That makes the multi-mode vehicle heavy and less fuel efficient than a mono-mode vehicle.

[keith]

The egergy needed to keep flying Cars afloat makes them totally impractical. Gravity is a bitch.

Exactly how much energy would that be, Prof Mousie?

Show your work and your references

Well, it is for a start, intuitively obvious that a multi-modal vehicle designed for 'the average Joe', VTOL capability, helicopter manoeuvrability, safety up the kazoo, is going to be heavy and an energy goblin.

But don't take my word for it - here's my work and references...

More at the link, but the title carries the important message
FOTW #1042, August 13, 2018: In 2017 Nearly 60% of All Vehicle Trips Were Less than Six Miles

Here is why the above is the important point.
Advantages and disadvantages of flying cars

Although VTOLs are very efficient once in the air, the take-off and climb phase of the journey requires large amounts of energy. This means that for short trips the benefits in terms of energy use and emissions are much lower.

Researchers at the University of Michigan found that for any trips less than 35km in length, it actually requires less energy to drive a car without any passengers the same distance.

This was an important finding because many people (and companies) see electric flying cars as a solution to transportation within our cities, for journeys like the typical commute which averages around 17km. But this research shows that although VTOLs are promising over longer distances due to their efficiency in cruise phase, these short journeys could actually lead to even higher emissions than existing transportation options.

[Sam the Centipede]

Considering how many drivers find it difficult to cope with railroad crossings, lane markings, stop signs, etc., I'm not convinced that having a bunch of idiots zipping around in their customized, accessorized, penis-substitute, flying boxes is conducive to anybody's survival. And would we trust the software to sort everything out … or allow the driver/pilot to take over and fly manually? And those who say that demanding fliers have a license is an infringement on their constipational rites, so they're going to do what the heck they like?

Perhaps for a little fun out in the sticks, but effectively then you'd probably have a microlight, perhaps with some sort of VTOL capability, but that (as pointed out above) is a horrible burden in terms of both energy and engineering. Or a super-sized quad/octo-copter drone, with people-shredding rotors.

It's not a dream scenario.

[Foggy]

Yeah, okay.

But if I can't have a flying car, then I'm definitely putting a photon cannon on my ground car.

[RTH10260]

Ohhh you of little faith - return your TARDIS pass to the rooster asap

[Tiredretiredlawyer]

But, but...Back to the Future and Jetsons.

[bill_g]

There aren't enough Delorians to go around.

[neeneko]

It's not a dream scenario.

Also : could you imagine the noise? Try to imagine all the freeways in your region being right outside your door and no trees or walls to block the sound. Helicopter travel in urban areas is VERY restricted and limited, you probably rarely have more than a dozen in the air at any given time and they are mostly encouraged to go along specific routes. You need a good reason to inconvenience so many people, not just "I want to get work in a cool way'.

[pipistrelle]

It's not a dream scenario.

Also : could you imagine the noise? Try to imagine all the freeways in your region being right outside your door and no trees or walls to block the sound. Helicopter travel in urban areas is VERY restricted and limited, you probably rarely have more than a dozen in the air at any given time and they are mostly encouraged to go along specific routes. You need a good reason to inconvenience so many people, not just "I want to get work in a cool way'.

I hear up to four types of helicopters:
Hospital
Military
Rescue
News

All sparingly. Most common is the hospital.

[northland10]

I live a half mile from a large level 1 trauma care hospital. I hear helicopters on occasion but I suspect they fly by more often but I have habituated it.