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The end is near

aviatoreb

By aviatoreb
in Miscellaneous Aviation Talk

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aviatoreb Grand Master

aviatoreb

Posted
Posted

The end is near - of transportation as we know it...

I have been saying for a few years that there will come a day when quadcopters and multicopters become human transportation.  One model could be that there are a gajillion of them in a big city, sitting on tops of buildings recharging like valkries ready to swoop down when summoned by customers, perhaps hailing them on a smart-phone like device like the way we hail an Uber today.  

Well the day is near - they claim July!

https://phys.org/news/2017-02-passenger-carrying-drone-dubai.html

I would want to go to Dubai just to try that out!

Smart cars, aka google car, are just a temporary thing - smart cars that need to drive amongst human piloted cars and compensate for irrational humans.  A little later then you could imagine that no one owns cars, as they become like a public utility and you just sumon an automatic car as needed and the coordination and autopiloting of them will become an easier problem.  And then - multicopter vehicles will come into the mix too.

All this for short range travel - and some other kind of fast airborn vehicle for long range travel.

And maybe a few enthusiasts and collectors will keep cars and airplanes (like P51's and Mooneys) to show off to their friends, but they would then no longer have any practical use.

chrisk Veteran

chrisk

Posted
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Maybe the well off can own/share a personal quad copter, but not the masses.   The energy efficiency and reliability of rolling transports will prevent the mass adoption of personal flying transport.  Think what happens when an autonomous car has a mechanical issue.  The car may crash, but there is a good likelihood for survival.  When your personal quad copter has a mechanical failure, your more likely to die. Which of course can be fixed with redundancy and inspections.  --all of which drives the cost up and makes the market smaller.   Then think of icing and thunderstorms, and the personal quad copter is starting to look unappealing as sole source of transport.   --Which means you will still need the ground transport....
 

1964-M20E Grand Master

1964-M20E

Posted
Posted

Roof tops are already crowned with HVAC systems, antennas and other miscellaneous junk.  Adding space for quad-copters is not going to happen soon.  There are fewer rooftops than parking garages.  Having flown helicopters iont some tight area and landing on helipads on rooftops you will need a decent size spot to do it.

I like the concept but in reality just like aviation I think the cost benefit ratio will keep it a small market.

If I had the space to land a helicopter at my house I'd seriously consider having one to commute to work since there is a public use heliport right across the street form my office.  Now that would be neat.:D  I would still subject to fog, and thunderstorms though and then I'd have to travel on the ground like all the other minions. :ph34r:

 

 

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1964-M20E Grand Master

1964-M20E

Posted
Posted
13 minutes ago, aviatoreb said:

I have one thing to say to you nay-sayers:

Here's George Jetson!

tumblrndrixh5oer1skfhono1500.gif

yes but his car folded up into a suitcase and he carried it into the office. :D

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aviatoreb Grand Master

aviatoreb

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Just now, 1964-M20E said:

yes but his car folded up into a suitcase and he carried it into the office. :D

So...you don't want that?

Anyway yeah the part about everyone owns their own....whether its land vehicles, air vehicles, water vehicles, or whatever, EVENTUALLY when they go automated I strongly suspect that they will no longer be personally owned but they will become more like a public utility.  You summon one when you need it.

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chrisk Veteran

chrisk

Posted
Posted
Just now, aviatoreb said:

EVENTUALLY when they go automated I strongly suspect that they will no longer be personally owned but they will become more like a public utility.  You summon one when you need it.

This is where things get really interesting.  The societal impacts are huge.   No more drunk drivers!  On the other hand, getting a car that a drunk threw up in is not high on my list. And how will cities make money on traffic enforcement, if the laws are not broken anymore?

Hank Grand Master

Hank

Posted
Posted
23 minutes ago, aviatoreb said:

So...you don't want that?

Anyway yeah the part about everyone owns their own....whether its land vehicles, air vehicles, water vehicles, or whatever, EVENTUALLY when they go automated I strongly suspect that they will no longer be personally owned but they will become more like a public utility.  You summon one when you need it.

That model is already available in big cities, it's called the Bus. I live in a town of 1000 people, no public transportation available now or on the horizon. 

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1964-M20E Grand Master

1964-M20E

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, chrisk said:

As an example, here is something you can buy now. 

http://www.autoblog.com/2017/02/21/dutch-company-offers-slick-convertible-flying-car-for-sale/

A flying car for $400K.   Any bets on how many get sold?  

 

Price is high but I do like it.:)
 

I wonder about doing this with a helicopter heck you not getting high airspeeds anyway and that would give you VTOL not just STOL.

aviatoreb Grand Master

aviatoreb

Posted
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Posted
41 minutes ago, 1964-M20E said:

Price is high but I do like it.:)
 

I wonder about doing this with a helicopter heck you not getting high airspeeds anyway and that would give you VTOL not just STOL.

I'll order two!

aviatoreb Grand Master

aviatoreb

Posted
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2 hours ago, Hank said:

That model is already available in big cities, it's called the Bus. I live in a town of 1000 people, no public transportation available now or on the horizon. 

..or an Airbus.

1964-M20E Grand Master

1964-M20E

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Posted

you know all this flying pod thing it would never work for people like us for the same reasons we don't like flying commercial we like to be in charge.:unsure:

 

 

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201er Grand Master

201er

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Wait till they meet the FAA certification process! They'll invent private moon travel before this thing ever gets off the ground.

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1964-M20E Grand Master

1964-M20E

Posted
Posted

sweet need a little more propeller protections for the pilot.  There is some guy in Europe that made one with 2 gas engines not as smooth as this one was on outrageous acts of science..

Yetti Grand Master

Yetti

Posted
Posted

If you have ever seen a quad copter lose a motor or a propeller, you would be sure to never ever get in one of these

aviatoreb Grand Master

aviatoreb

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6 minutes ago, Yetti said:

If you have ever seen a quad copter lose a motor or a propeller, you would be sure to never ever get in one of these

That is why a real effort for a human carrying vehicle would be at least an octocopter, but probably even more - how about 36 tiny motors and tiny props lifting a human? 

Its like the old WWII airforce joke - First officer: Captain - engine number 4 is on fire!  Captain to first officer: which side?

1964-M20E Grand Master

1964-M20E

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, Yetti said:

If it only carries 1 person, why does it need the weight of 2 doors?

Need to include both left handed people and right handed people.:ph34r:

 

Besides a horse generally caries only one person and there are stirrups on each side.:blink:

 

 

 

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