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This is a patent for one element of a bigger system. Don't dismiss that part only because it does not describe all solutions to all problems. Maybe the other p
by jo909 11y ago
This is a patent for one element of a bigger system. Don't dismiss that part only because it does not describe all solutions to all problems.
Maybe the other parts are described in different patents or were determinded to be not patentable. Or they do not yet have a found a worthwhile solutino, but that does not mean they never will.
Also filing for a patent does not even mean they plan to execute on this idea in the forseable future.
- existencebox 11y agoThe parent brings a valid point though. I'd really expect a modular luggage compartment would be a FAR more cost effective first step; the waiting passengers could have onboarded their luggage already to a waiting pod, and when the plane lands, it simply detaches its pods to be unloaded in parallel as the loaded new pods are attached. (Or a similar approach with fuel tanks) I openly admit to not knowing of any subtleties behind why you'd even want to swap a cockpit, it seems to me like one of the more static/easily left in place components, given you're only really "rotating" the pilots, if anything.
- jpollock 11y agoThey already have and use those, they're called a "unit load device" [1]. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unit_load_device https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unit_load_device
- existencebox 11y agoHuh, thanks, those are neat; I honestly wonder why I've never seen them used in a lifetime of flying. Probably don't go on the right planes/trips.