26 ms·
I work around dozens of pilots. Most of them used to own, co-own, share, or lease a plane. Only a few of them actually have a plane they could go fly right no
by EA 10y ago
I work around dozens of pilots. Most of them used to own, co-own, share, or lease a plane. Only a few of them actually have a plane they could go fly right now.
Maintenance, upkeep, costs, and regulations are obvious reasons why some would be deterred from owning and using a private plane.
But most everyone of the pilots said, if you want to go to the beach, in general, the best way to get there is a 6 to 8-hour drive in a minivan. The faster you go in the plane, the faster you burn fuel, and the more likely you'll have to land to refuel. Even if you don't refuel, loading, landing, unpacking, and rental cars are all unpleasant time sucks at a small airport in a small plane which saves you maybe 2 or 3 hours on your commute.
- bmj 10y agoThis squares with my experience. The folks I know that travel by small plane do so because they enjoy flying, not because it offers any real benefits over driving. These folks are also not lacking for disposable income.
- 6stringmerc 10y agoOne quick look at the "estimated" price tags for the flying cars in the article - $280,000 & $400,000 as examples - should be enough to reveal how stupid the idea is at the core. For $400,000 I could get a decent shape used Beechcraft Bonanza and a 2 year old Corvette or BMW M-class sedan. Both of which would out-perform the Flying Car in either respect. Easily.
- base698 10y agoMostly true. For me I go a lot of places that are a 2 hour plane ride followed by a 2 hour car ride. In those cases it's faster to just fly directly where I want to go, and avoid the car portion. Most places have smaller airports a lot closer to a rural destination. Of course, if you only go to larger cities, this is never an issue.
- robotresearcher 10y agoFloat plane. Tie up at your dock.