Shower thought: Why is general aviation more expensive compared to other forms of transportation?
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Replying to @chrisnelder
Not to mention it’s leaded gas. Electric GA aircraft with long range can’t happen soon enough. But still, cheapest old planes for rent (not inc. fuel) are hard to find for less than $90/hour.
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Replying to @mikebee
Well, if you're not particular about how long it stays aloft, or when, I'm sure you can find cheaper options.
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Replying to @chrisnelder
No doubt. Pipistrel sells one for $140k. Stays aloft for 1 hour with 160km range. $4-6/hour electricity cost, but don’t know about other costs.
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Replying to @mikebee @chrisnelder
Thinking that electric planes need a 2 stage solution; take it waaay up and get it to speed, then split, glide the heavy batteries back on a robotic flying wing, and glide on a weight and drag optimized 2nd stage with enough power to land and maneuver. Good niche for fuel cells.
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Replying to @DanielleFong @mikebee
You're jiggling an old memory here... wasn't there, like, a military aircraft or something that used a ground-based accelerator (magnetic?) to get the thing aloft, then a modest on-board engine for traveling?
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Yeah, but an untethered electric lifter definitely seems more practical. You can get way more altitude / speed I think. Power density is good with e-powertrains, so if you just ditch the extra mass after the high power requirements in lifting it could be a good niche for eplanes
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