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Wait: - Curb Weight: 1100lbs - Max Takeoff Weight: 1500lbs So... you, your passenger, and any cargo combined can't weigh more than 400 pounds? That's a pret

Wait: - Curb Weight: 1100lbs - Max Takeoff Weight: 1500lbs So... you, your passenger, and any cargo combined can't weigh more than 400 pounds? That's a pretty serious limit for people hoping to transport multiple adults. And "precision agriculture" or the sorts of practical uses they discuss all go right out the window.

googletazer 9y ago
Its perfectly fine for two adults + a bit of cargo for immediate use.
tweedledee 9y ago
I'm sure the Max Take Off weight is even lower at altitude and in warm weather. I've noticed most R22 pilots are pretty skinny.
throwawayjava 9y ago
The BMI chart maxes out healthy weights at 192. So unless you have two NBA players or something, it should work well for most but perhaps not all healthy people.
- Amorymeltzer 9y ago
  Average weights (no median, sorry) from the CDC (https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/body-measurements.htm https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/body-measurements.htm): >Men: 195.7 pounds >Women: 168.5 pounds So this could carry an average man, average woman, and under 36 pounds. At that point, the weight of your clothing or a bottle of wine becomes very important.
  - throwawayjava 9y ago
    Yes, I did say healthy, which a good half of the USA isn't. but that still implies a 100m person market, just in the USA, and people in other developed countries tend to be closer to the "healthy" range. There are lots of healthy people out there. In short, I don't think this will be the make-or-break for flying cars...
    - cryptoz 9y ago
      > a 100m person market No, not really. Only extremely wealthy people can buy this. It's more like a 10,000 to 100,000 person market in the US I would guess.
  - alkonaut 9y ago
    Maybe the US version should have one seat :)
- nradov 9y ago
  What chart are you looking at? BMI is based on height, so someone 6'4" tall has a normal healthy weight range up to 205lbs.
jsmthrowaway 9y ago
You should look at the usable payload of a Cessna 150 or Piper Cub, and keep in mind that figure includes fuel, if you think that's low. Weight and balance is something you have to pay close attention to in aviation in general, and what your passengers are carrying does matter.
calchris42 9y ago
400 lbs capacity for passengers / cargo is in line with an R22, a common 2 seater helicopter (389 lbs for Pilot, Passenger and Baggage). However the SureFly situation is likely worse than that. Typically the empty weight does not include fuel weight, which might be another 100 lbs. It seems that SureFly has designed an aircraft with less than half the range of an R22, that can't autorotate, and costs roughly the same. The SureFly might be easier to fly though. https://robinsonheli.com/r22-series/ https://robinsonheli.com/r22-series/
- dragonwriter 9y ago
  > However the SureFly situation is likely worse than that. Typically the empty weight does not include fuel weight Empty weight does not typically include usable fuel, but curb weight, which is what is cited here, generally does (though it's not a figure usually, IME, specified for aircraft).
FabHK 9y ago
For quite a while, electric VTOL aircraft will be quite limited in what they can carry, I think, because the specific energy of batteries is just too far below that of gasoline.

googletazer 9y ago

Its perfectly fine for two adults + a bit of cargo for immediate use.

tweedledee 9y ago

I'm sure the Max Take Off weight is even lower at altitude and in warm weather. I've noticed most R22 pilots are pretty skinny.

throwawayjava 9y ago

The BMI chart maxes out healthy weights at 192. So unless you have two NBA players or something, it should work well for most but perhaps not all healthy people.

Amorymeltzer 9y ago
Average weights (no median, sorry) from the CDC (https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/body-measurements.htm https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/body-measurements.htm): >Men: 195.7 pounds >Women: 168.5 pounds So this could carry an average man, average woman, and under 36 pounds. At that point, the weight of your clothing or a bottle of wine becomes very important.
- throwawayjava 9y ago
  Yes, I did say healthy, which a good half of the USA isn't. but that still implies a 100m person market, just in the USA, and people in other developed countries tend to be closer to the "healthy" range. There are lots of healthy people out there. In short, I don't think this will be the make-or-break for flying cars...
  - cryptoz 9y ago
    > a 100m person market No, not really. Only extremely wealthy people can buy this. It's more like a 10,000 to 100,000 person market in the US I would guess.
- alkonaut 9y ago
  Maybe the US version should have one seat :)
nradov 9y ago
What chart are you looking at? BMI is based on height, so someone 6'4" tall has a normal healthy weight range up to 205lbs.

jsmthrowaway 9y ago

You should look at the usable payload of a Cessna 150 or Piper Cub, and keep in mind that figure includes fuel, if you think that's low. Weight and balance is something you have to pay close attention to in aviation in general, and what your passengers are carrying does matter.

calchris42 9y ago

400 lbs capacity for passengers / cargo is in line with an R22, a common 2 seater helicopter (389 lbs for Pilot, Passenger and Baggage). However the SureFly situation is likely worse than that. Typically the empty weight does not include fuel weight, which might be another 100 lbs. It seems that SureFly has designed an aircraft with less than half the range of an R22, that can't autorotate, and costs roughly the same. The SureFly might be easier to fly though. https://robinsonheli.com/r22-series/ https://robinsonheli.com/r22-series/

dragonwriter 9y ago
> However the SureFly situation is likely worse than that. Typically the empty weight does not include fuel weight Empty weight does not typically include usable fuel, but curb weight, which is what is cited here, generally does (though it's not a figure usually, IME, specified for aircraft).

FabHK 9y ago

For quite a while, electric VTOL aircraft will be quite limited in what they can carry, I think, because the specific energy of batteries is just too far below that of gasoline.