Slashdot Mirror

That's a conspiracy theory I haven't heard before. That one of these did it?

Citation

This is a better Citation

And here I thought they were a bit more expensive than a grand or two.

No, there's no way a Citation could hit 132 MPH

Are you kidding? That's about takeoff speed.

I went to a local airshow a couple of weeks ago, and saw a brand new Cessna 180. They're moving to Jet A now as a fuel.

http://www.cessna.com/single-engine/turbo-skylane-jta

I expect that they're really going to start trying to push engine manufacturers to develop drop-in replacements for older engines, and then just force replacement of the engine during annual.

It's already 2011 and science fiction writers have been saying we'd have flying cars for decades! So, where's my flying car, damnit!

Here you go.

FYI - a 'turboprop' engine is basically a jet engine (or "gas turbine") powering a propeller; the turbine powerplant is more efficient, more mechanically reliable, and has longer TBO's (time between overhaul; 3-5K hours vs 1-2K) than a reciprocating engine. These are just some of the reasons that turboprops are extremely commonly used as working, commercial aircraft, hauling passengers *and* freight, whether employed by large airlines, regionals, freight co's, and/or small independent operators (think bush pilot, air taxi, etc...). Planes like the Cessna Caravan are common, although I get a hoot out of the ex-DC-3 Basler Turbo-67 Turboprops are also quite commonly used on high-end civil and business aircraft, like Pilatus and Piaggio Avanti.

They're still producing GA aircraft: http://www.cessna.com/single-engine.html

I'm sure it depends on your area, but it also depends on what licenses you need. Figure $3-5000 for a visual-only license, give or take a grand or so. Definitely not the same as getting a car license.

Looked into this years ago, the cost of getting the actual license is nothing compared to the cost of lessons, you have to fulfil a certain number of flight hours in different conditions under a licensed instructor before you can even take the license tests. I cant remember the number of hours you need as I looked into this in early 2001. I doubt the requirement in AU will be that different to the US or any western nation.

Depends on the plane and the car you're comparing.

A Cesna Skycatcher 162 costs $112,500 (US) to buy, considering that this is censa's basic model it's quite a bit more then an A$16,000 basic car. In addition to this there are running costs, fuel costs are higher, landing/hangar fee's, maintenance requirements will all cost more then a car.

It's not that hot in Georgia, it's just humid as hell. If you think GA is bad, head south to Florida. it's 15 degrees warmer, with 10% more humidity, plus mosquitos the size of Cessnas.

Truthfully, Georgia is a great place to live. The spring and fall are both long and temeperate. The cost of living is relatively low, the people are generally friendly and far better educated than Alabama, South Carolina, or most other southern states, and the government is fairly technologically progressive. You can renew your license online, pay traffic tickets online, check/pay/dispute land assessments online, check the traffic on major highways online (complete with pictures from the cameras), and more.

With towns like Suwanee leading the way, there's a strong resurgence in building and maintaining greenspace too. If not for the horrendous drought, it would be one of the better places in America to live.

Philten, While you are certainly a pilot and well meaning, you might be missing the point with specific aircraft that are ready for air taxi today that have been around for years. The Cessna Caravan and Pilatus PC-12 are examples of aircraft that are perfect for the 500 mile segment market and have DOC's that are low enough (that with 8 pax) you can actually make flying very affordable. In fact, in many parts of the world, the aircraft offer cheap air taxi solutions for the layperson where there is no alternative. To make it clear, let me do some quick math. An operator of a highly utilized Caravan needs $600 /hr to make money. That is $100 / hr per pax (assming 6 pax load - it can take 8) one way, to cover 150 nautical miles.. or 66 cents per mile. That is a turbine all weather aircraft that is unpressurized. It can fly in icing conditions but not above the weather, as you point out. The PC12 or King Air, however, can.. and in the PC-12's case it is not a lot more money per hour that his needed to make the #'s work. The PC12 is also fast, about 250 kts per hour instead of 160 kts like the Caravan. So.. while you may be down on the practicalities of truly light GA aircraft, don't forget the plethora of larger turboprops that are waiting to go to work, with low DOC's, pressurization in some cases, and certainly the ability to operate in all weather.

Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on your viewpoint, the FAA is quite reluctant to accept any significant changes in GA because, you know the saying, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." However, there has been multiple leaps in the technology implemented in small airplanes over the past few years.

For example, instead of carburetors, most new planes now come with a FADEC system that handles the fuel injection into each individual cylinder, increasing performance and ridding the pilot of that pesky mixture control lever. Also, this system gives you real time status information on each cylinder so you can monitor their performance and detect a problem before it becomes too serious. About the mags, I can't really see why you'd want to get rid of them, they really are a pilot's best friend because even a total electrical failure (well almost anyways) cannot stop the magneto from sparking the engine. You have to always remember that aviation is practically married to redundancy, and for good reason.

While you did mention GPS being added into planes now, that's really only half the story. Glass cockpits are literally revolutionizing how we fly. Take a look at the good 'ol 152 cockpit then and now, there's a pretty big difference, no? The GPS is also going to make traveling to smaller airports in IMC a much greater experience when WASS/LAAS and TLS approaches become implemented around airports in the upcoming years.

Besides the GPS, ideas such as 'live' radar via XM radio, as well as a much more affordable radar dish are making storm traversal a much easier, safer thing for light airplanes, while Mode S transponders are finally bringing collision avoidance systems down from the major airlines to general aviation which I'm sure you'll agree is a major advantage.

Going outside the cockpit, we find that airplanes are beginning to be made with composite materials which are both lighter and stronger. However the high cost associated with manufacturing them, as well its unknown safety factor, are keeping it from being too widely accepted. The cirrus even designed a parachute for the entire plane. Overall, while the major design of airplanes have basically remained the same, I would say that there has been many great innovative improvements in general aviation that are changing the way pilot's fly.

So my two ton exoskeleton will let me fly?

Mine does. http://stationair.cessna.com/spec_gen.chtml

Where is my flying car? It is the 21st century and we were promised flying cars. Where are they?

You know, I'm still waiting myself, but I was thinking about this a while back and came to the conclusion that they're already here. Of course, not everybody can afford them, much less have sufficient piloting ability. Here's just one of the many companies who make them.

You mean American farmers, right? Because the USA and Europe protect farmers in countries that aren't really adequate for farming. Why plant sugarcane in Louisiana, oranges in Florida, or coffe in Hawaii, when the best place for those is in the state of São Paulo in Brazil?

And it isnt'only farming, obsolete industries in the "rust belt" also get subsidies. Brazilian steel exports must face heavy tariffs and non-tariff barriers in exporting to the USA.

So, look at the long term consequences. The Brazilian real has a lower than normal exchange rate against the US dollar. This means that Brazilian agriculture and steel companies can compete in the USA.

OTOH, high technology companies in Brazil get an extra boost in their exports. With a favorable exchange rate and not having to face high barriers in exporting, the Brazilian aviation industry is able to compete very favorably against the American general aviation industry.

By protecting farmers and old steel mills you are keeping those low-paying jobs in the USA and exporting sophisticated technological jobs to the third world. Now, what exactly is sanity and what is greed?

The Holiday of Jew's Revenge, September 11th, was bloodied once again this year. Officials say Gay Nigger Association of America member Tar_Baby stole a Cessna jet from a nearby airfield and crashed it into Open Source Technology Group headquarters, completely demolishing the building, as well as crushing and incinerating everyone inside.

Audio logs recovered via the jet's black box portrayed a disturbing course of events onboard the plane. Passengers were heard screaming for their lives as the terrorist raped and killed the male members of the plane by what was thought to be rupturing their colons with a gigantic black dildo with nails punched out the sides, based on evidence collected at the scene.

Within minutes of the attack, GNAA officials telephoned major news networks claiming responsibility, and promised to continue their campaign of destruction as long as an Open Source movement still existed. This is believed to be the major tenet of the 'Gay Nigger Jihad', first mentioned months ago during GNAA's campaign against AOL.

This comes almost simultaneously after OSTG recently changed their name from the Open Source Development Network (OSDN), in attempt to distance itself from name long associated with failure, stupidity, zealotry, and Cowboyneal. It was also part of a last ditch effort to convince investors not to steal a Cessna and fly it into the headquarters themselves.

Update: A few hours after the crash, the rescue team found what is believed to be the only survivor. CmdrTaco was found in a coma inside OSTG basement, still firmly gripping his tiny cock. In his other hand, he was holding a photo of a muscular black male, signed by "Gary Niger of GNAA". CmdrTaco was rushed to a hospital, and his condition remains critical.

About GNAA:
GNAA (GAY NIGGER ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA) is the first organization which gathers GAY NIGGERS from all over America and abroad for one common goal - being GAY NIGGERS.

Are you GAY ?
Are you a NIGGER ?
Are you a GAY NIGGER ?

If you answered "Yes" to all of the above questions, then GNAA (GAY NIGGER ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA) might be exactly what you've been looking for!
Join GNAA (GAY NIGGER ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA) today, and enjoy all the benefits of being a full-time GNAA member.
GNAA (GAY NIGGER ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA) is the fastest-growing GAY NIGGER community with THOUSANDS of members all over United States of America and the World! You, too, can be a part of GNAA if you join today!

Why not? It's quick and easy - only 3 simple steps!

• First, you have to obtain a copy of GAYNIGGERS FROM OUTER SPACE THE MOVIE and watch it. You can download the movie (~130mb) using BitTorrent.
• Second, you need to succeed in posting a GNAA First Post on slashdot.org, a popular "news for trolls" website.
• Third, you need to join the official GNAA irc channel #GNAA on irc.gnaa.us, and apply for membership.

Talk to one of the ops or any of the other members in the channel to sign up today! Upon submitting your application, you will be required to

The Holiday of Jew's Revenge, September 11th, was bloodied once again this year. Officials say Gay Nigger Association of America member Tar_Baby stole a Cessna jet from a nearby airfield and crashed it into Open Source Technology Group headquarters, completely demolishing the building, as well as crushing and incinerating everyone inside.

Audio logs recovered via the jet's black box portrayed a disturbing course of events onboard the plane. Passengers were heard screaming for their lives as the terrorist raped and killed the male members of the plane by what was thought to be rupturing their colons with a gigantic black dildo with nails punched out the sides, based on evidence collected at the scene.

Within minutes of the attack, GNAA officials telephoned major news networks claiming responsibility, and promised to continue their campaign of destruction as long as an Open Source movement still existed. This is believed to be the major tenet of the 'Gay Nigger Jihad', first mentioned months ago during GNAA's campaign against AOL.

This comes almost simultaneously after OSTG recently changed their name from the Open Source Development Network (OSDN), in attempt to distance itself from name long associated with failure, stupidity, zealotry, and Cowboyneal. It was also part of a last ditch effort to convince investors not to steal a Cessna and fly it into the headquarters themselves.

Update: A few hours after the crash, the rescue team found what is believed to be the only survivor. CmdrTaco was found in a coma inside OSTG basement, still firmly gripping his tiny cock. In his other hand, he was holding a photo of a muscular black male, signed by "Gary Niger of GNAA". CmdrTaco was rushed to a hospital, and his condition remains critical.

About GNAA:
GNAA (GAY NIGGER ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA) is the first organization which gathers GAY NIGGERS from all over America and abroad for one common goal - being GAY NIGGERS.

Are you GAY ?
Are you a NIGGER ?
Are you a GAY NIGGER ?

If you answered "Yes" to all of the above questions, then GNAA (GAY NIGGER ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA) might be exactly what you've been looking for!
Join GNAA (GAY NIGGER ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA) today, and enjoy all the benefits of being a full-time GNAA member.
GNAA (GAY NIGGER ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA) is the fastest-growing GAY NIGGER community with THOUSANDS of members all over United States of America and the World! You, too, can be a part of GNAA if you join today!

Why not? It's quick and easy - only 3 simple steps!

• First, you have to obtain a copy of GAYNIGGERS FROM OUTER SPACE THE MOVIE and watch it. You can download the movie (~130mb) using BitTorrent.
• Second, you need to succeed in posting a GNAA First Post on slashdot.org, a popular "news for trolls" website.
• Third, you need to join the official GNAA irc channel #GNAA on irc.gnaa.us, and apply for membership.

Talk to one of the ops or any of the other members in the channel to sign up today! Upon submitting your application, you will be required to

No, I hope you make it in your chosen career. We have a lot of AE majors here and most of them are very nice people. The aeronautical field is improving (w.r.t. jobs). In Denver, Adam Aircraft is trying to get a plane certified by the FAA; the guess is that this will never happen (composite spars). In Albuquerque, Eclipse Aviation is trying to get certified and sell cheap jets. Older companies (e.g. Piper, Cessna, Beech, Learjet) expect to do well and some are hiring right now. Airbus has "four established hubs of Airbus activity in North America". Boeing is another player in the aeronautical field.

Do you have any other intrusive questions about my personal life?
I do not have any questions about your personal life. I believe Apple computers are good for certain people and Linux computers are good for certain people. If I have a concern about Apple, it is that its hardware is overpriced and underpowered; if these things do not matter, then use a Mac. For "grandmas", Apple might produce a very good product.

Answer, NO.

Rent a car when you get there
Some small airports have a free 'loaner car'
It cost between $20,000 and $60,000 to overhaul a piston aircraft engine. Most are overhauled every 2,000 hours. So that's between $10 and $30 per hour to overhaul the engine. The tires last about 600 hours, Assuming an average 2 hour flight, that's 1 takeoff and 1 landing per hour. If the takeoff run, and landing rollout average 1/2 mile each, that's 600 miles per tire, plus taxi time maybe 1,000 miles per tire. Can you imagine replacing the tires on your car every 1000 miles?
I replaced a tail navigation light cover on a Beech Barron for $600 parts only. (4" diameter shaped clear plastic cover)
It cost about $1000 to replace the brake pads on a Cessna 190
Every part used on an aircraft is certified, right down to the $16 oil filter.
Aircraft must be maintained under the supervision of a FAA certified mechanic. If your flying car broke down on the road, you would have to round up a certified mechanic to supervise the repairs.
The airconditioner on the new Cessnas is a $20,800 option.
I can't imagine driving a certified aircraft on the road with other cars.

The Holiday of Jew's Revenge, September 11th, was bloodied once again this year. Officials say Gay Nigger Association of America member Tar_Baby stole a Cessna jet from a nearby airfield and crashed it into Open Source Technology Group headquarters, completely demolishing the building, as well as crushing and incinerating everyone inside.

Audio logs recovered via the jet's black box portrayed a disturbing course of events onboard the plane. Passengers were heard screaming for their lives as the terrorist raped and killed the male members of the plane by what was thought to be rupturing their colons with a gigantic black dildo with nails punched out the sides, based on evidence collected at the scene.

Within minutes of the attack, GNAA officials telephoned major news networks claiming responsibility, and promised to continue their campaign of destruction as long as an Open Source movement still existed. This is believed to be the major tenet of the 'Gay Nigger Jihad', first mentioned months ago during GNAA's campaign against AOL.

This comes almost simultaneously after OSTG recently changed their name from the Open Source Development Network (OSDN), in attempt to distance itself from name long associated with failure, stupidity, zealotry, and Cowboyneal. It was also part of a last ditch effort to convince investors not to steal a Cessna and fly it into the headquarters themselves.

Update: A few hours after the crash, the rescue team found what is believed to be the only survivor. CmdrTaco was found in a coma inside OSTG basement, still firmly gripping his tiny cock. In his other hand, he was holding a photo of a muscular black male, signed by "Gary Niger of GNAA". CmdrTaco was rushed to a hospital, and his condition remains critical.

About GNAA:
GNAA (GAY NIGGER ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA) is the first organization which gathers GAY NIGGERS from all over America and abroad for one common goal - being GAY NIGGERS.

Are you GAY ?
Are you a NIGGER ?
Are you a GAY NIGGER ?

If you answered "Yes" to all of the above questions, then GNAA (GAY NIGGER ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA) might be exactly what you've been looking for!
Join GNAA (GAY NIGGER ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA) today, and enjoy all the benefits of being a full-time GNAA member.
GNAA (GAY NIGGER ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA) is the fastest-growing GAY NIGGER community with THOUSANDS of members all over United States of America and the World! You, too, can be a part of GNAA if you join today!

Why not? It's quick and easy - only 3 simple steps!

• First, you have to obtain a copy of GAYNIGGERS FROM OUTER SPACE THE MOVIE and watch it. You can download the movie (~130mb) using BitTorrent.
• Second, you need to succeed in posting a GNAA First Post on slashdot.org, a popular "news for trolls" website.
• Third, you need to join the official GNAA irc channel #GNAA on irc.gnaa.us, and apply for membership.

Talk to one of the ops or any of the other members in the channel to sign up today! Upon submitting your application, you will be requir

The Holiday of Jew's Revenge, September 11th, was bloodied once again this year. Officials say Gay Nigger Association of America member Tar_Baby stole a Cessna jet from a nearby airfield and crashed it into Open Source Technology Group headquarters, completely demolishing the building, as well as crushing and incinerating everyone inside.

Audio logs recovered via the jet's black box portrayed a disturbing course of events onboard the plane. Passengers were heard screaming for their lives as the terrorist raped and killed the male members of the plane by what was thought to be rupturing their colons with a gigantic black dildo with nails punched out the sides, based on evidence collected at the scene.

Within minutes of the attack, GNAA officials telephoned major news networks claiming responsibility, and promised to continue their campaign of destruction as long as an Open Source movement still existed. This is believed to be the major tenet of the 'Gay Nigger Jihad', first mentioned months ago during GNAA's campaign against AOL.

This comes almost simultaneously after OSTG recently changed their name from the Open Source Development Network (OSDN), in attempt to distance itself from name long associated with failure, stupidity, zealotry, and Cowboyneal. It was also part of a last ditch effort to convince investors not to steal a Cessna and fly it into the headquarters themselves.

Update: A few hours after the crash, the rescue team found what is believed to be the only survivor. CmdrTaco was found in a coma inside OSTG basement, still firmly gripping his tiny cock. In his other hand, he was holding a photo of a muscular black male, signed by "Gary Niger of GNAA". CmdrTaco was rushed to a hospital, and his condition remains critical.

About GNAA:
GNAA (GAY NIGGER ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA) is the first organization which gathers GAY NIGGERS from all over America and abroad for one common goal - being GAY NIGGERS.

Are you GAY ?
Are you a NIGGER ?
Are you a GAY NIGGER ?

If you answered "Yes" to all of the above questions, then GNAA (GAY NIGGER ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA) might be exactly what you've been looking for!
Join GNAA (GAY NIGGER ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA) today, and enjoy all the benefits of being a full-time GNAA member.
GNAA (GAY NIGGER ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA) is the fastest-growing GAY NIGGER community with THOUSANDS of members all over United States of America and the World! You, too, can be a part of GNAA if you join today!

Why not? It's quick and easy - only 3 simple steps!

• First, you have to obtain a copy of GAYNIGGERS FROM OUTER SPACE THE MOVIE and watch it. You can download the movie (~130mb) using BitTorrent.
• Second, you need to succeed in posting a GNAA First Post on slashdot.org, a popular "news for trolls" website.
• Third, you need to join the official GNAA irc channel #GNAA on irc.gnaa.us, and apply for membership.

Talk to one of the ops or any of the other members in the channel to sign up today! Upon submitting your application, you will be required to

The Holiday of Jew's Revenge, September 11th, was bloodied once again this year. Officials say Gay Nigger Association of America member Tar_Baby stole a Cessna jet from a nearby airfield and crashed it into Open Source Technology Group headquarters, completely demolishing the building, as well as crushing and incinerating everyone inside.

Audio logs recovered via the jet's black box portrayed a disturbing course of events onboard the plane. Passengers were heard screaming for their lives as the terrorist raped and killed the male members of the plane by what was thought to be rupturing their colons with a gigantic black dildo with nails punched out the sides, based on evidence collected at the scene.

Within minutes of the attack, GNAA officials telephoned major news networks claiming responsibility, and promised to continue their campaign of destruction as long as an Open Source movement still existed. This is believed to be the major tenet of the 'Gay Nigger Jihad', first mentioned months ago during GNAA's campaign against AOL.

This comes almost simultaneously after OSTG recently changed their name from the Open Source Development Network (OSDN), in attempt to distance itself from name long associated with failure, stupidity, zealotry, and Cowboyneal. It was also part of a last ditch effort to convince investors not to steal a Cessna and fly it into the headquarters themselves.

Update: A few hours after the crash, the rescue team found what is believed to be the only survivor. CmdrTaco was found in a coma inside OSTG basement, still firmly gripping his tiny cock. In his other hand, he was holding a photo of a muscular black male, signed by "Gary Niger of GNAA". CmdrTaco was rushed to a hospital, and his condition remains critical.

About GNAA:
GNAA (GAY NIGGER ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA) is the first organization which gathers GAY NIGGERS from all over America and abroad for one common goal - being GAY NIGGERS.

Are you GAY ?
Are you a NIGGER ?
Are you a GAY NIGGER ?

If you answered "Yes" to all of the above questions, then GNAA (GAY NIGGER ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA) might be exactly what you've been looking for!
Join GNAA (GAY NIGGER ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA) today, and enjoy all the benefits of being a full-time GNAA member.
GNAA (GAY NIGGER ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA) is the fastest-growing GAY NIGGER community with THOUSANDS of members all over United States of America and the World! You, too, can be a part of GNAA if you join today!

Why not? It's quick and easy - only 3 simple steps!

• First, you have to obtain a copy of GAYNIGGERS FROM OUTER SPACE THE MOVIE and watch it. You can download the movie (~130mb) using BitTorrent.
• Second, you need to succeed in posting a GNAA First Post on slashdot.org, a popular "news for trolls" website.
• Third, you need to join the official GNAA irc channel #GNAA on irc.gnaa.us, and apply for membership.

Talk to one of the ops or any of the other members in the channel to sign up today! Upon submitting your application, you will be required to

Yeah, you're exactly right. Cessna almost went out of business because of law suits and if you see a Cessna today chances are probably 9 out of 10 that its a 152 or 172 that is decades old.

And it is truely a god-damned shame. The fact that all these aircraft are around today and flying after 50 years ought to say something. I mean, you don't see a lot of Ford Pintos on the road anymore, do you? It amazes me how long something can last when it is designed correctly and cared for by professionals. Look at the fleet of B-52s... Anyway, now you can't pick up a new single engine Cessna for less than 158K

Piper pilots fly upside down :)

I seem to remember a report of the first successful real-world use of a emergency parachute for light aircraft. A cessna-like plane had its engines cut own and the pilot was able to parachute his entire plane to safety.

I, for one, am terribly interested in the aviation side of this. Using Linux all the way through is very cool and all of that, and I suppose it's groundbreaking for an airline, but it's more an adaptation of existing technology (OS, desktop software, database, web server, scripting software) to a new problem (an airline). Where these guys are really breaking new ground is on the airplane side of things. I read the interview, and somehow I've managed to miss these guys, but I've heard references to this concept before, and as soon as this takes off, I hope to be using it as much as possible.

What these guys are proposing is using the Eclipse 500 to fly people all over the place. It's a six-seat airplane, 355 knot cruise (ca 410 mph), and according to the specs page, it has an accelerate-stop takeoff distance of 2,595 feet. This means it can accelerate to just under the speed it needs to fly on one engine, lose an engine, and still stop safely without running off the end of the runway. This will increase the number of airports Penguin can fly to versus, say, Northwest Airlines, by at least a factor of five. Most municipal airports have at least a 3,000 foot runway. Now, their page is slashdotted, so I'm not sure exactly how they'll handle this, but theoretically that means they could fly me (on a typical trip) from Springfield, MO to New Richmond, WI in a total time of about two hours, including drive time to and from the airport. Currently, it takes about six hours, including nintey minutes for checkin/security and an excursus through St. Louis, Memphis, or (heaven forbid) O'Hare, and then an hour driving from the Minneapolis airport to New Richmond. It's about twelve hours to drive, so it's almost not even worth it to fly, but with these guys, it would be so much nicer. This has the potential to be a serious boon for travellers. Depending on how they do this, it could eliminate hubs, and eliminate having to fly into one of the larger airports, followed by up to three hours of driving.

The Eclipse isn't yet certified, but it looks like it has a really good chance. These guys have been working on it for a while, and they seem to know what they're doing. They're using the Williams EJ22 engine, which is similar to their FJ44 engine that has been very successful on the Cessna CitationJet series. What really amazes me, though, is the price of these things. They're only asking about $850,000, which is barely enough to buy a twin-engine pison (instead of jet) Beech Baron these days.

All of which is to say, I'm really, really excited to hear about these guys, and I hope their business does well. I'll be flying them as soon as I can. They've got cool technology all the way around, and it has the potential to make life much better.

The folks flying corporate jets certainly don't. Fuel costs alone for a low-end jet run ~$300/hour, not counting maintenance, pilot fees and the like.

If you'd rather fly something like a Citation X you're up to $600/hour or so for the JetA. Don't even ask what it costs for the whole package.

Before WWII, there was a thriving business with dozens of light plane makers. You could buy good, cheap little planes. After WWII, there was some consolidation in the industry but you could still get a decent little plane for reasonable bucks.

Then the lawyers got involved. Liability lawsuits appeared everywhere. Since planes stick around for a while, a crash of a 20 year old model was still grounds to sue. Cessna quit making anything smaller than a corporate jet. Piper nearly went bankrupt. The entire GA industry entered a slump.

Finally, Congress acted and set strict liability limits on older light planes. (If it's been flying for 15 years, the maker probably isn't at fault.) Liability is still a problem though: a decent light plane that can carry a small family costs as much as a house now. This isn't a fancy plane: cloth seats and barely enough room to move your feet.

There are a few small makers out there (Cessna came back), but almost nothing cheap is left. You can build your own from a kit and slap an "Experimental" tag on it, but that leaves *you* fully liable for anything that happens. (Then again, as a pilot it was probably your fault anyway.) You could go for an ultralight, but that's for sightseeing, not for travel.

End result: a few companies sell a few, very expensive planes to rich people. Folks like me with a pilot's license but no trust fund rent aging C152s on weekends since we can't afford anything else. (Someday I'm going to build one, but I've got a 7-month old kid and a mortgage right now.)

Liability is almost certainly the wrong way to do this

Eric

BTW The fastest current private Jet is the Cessna Citation X, it cruises at Mach 0.92. It is infact the fastest civilian jet except the concorde.
Cessna aircraft company