Finally - flying cars!
- Thread starter trampledamage
- Start date
You can get them quite a bit cheaper used. The real trick is figuring out how old you want to go. A 1960s Cessna 152 may go for only 20k, but odds are it won't be as robust a machine as an 80s or 90s model. Still, it's nice that there seem to be a whole range of prices available.
Amen to that!Most (90%) of the population can't drive worth a shit. We sure as hell don't need these same people airborne.
The good news is that these won't be commonplace. Gotta have a pilot's license to fly in the US
Considering the drunks, uber-aggressive idiots, and the general cerebrally challenged dolts who regularly crash their land-based vehicles, having these yo-yo’s pancaking on your house is a non-starter.
Thank goodness for the FAA.
No, you haven't.
I don't see why it wouldn't. It's just a motorized paraglider attached to a dune buggy. Hardly cutting edge or dangerous technology.
The FAA regulates Sport Pilots, which has recently begun to include people who fly ultra-lights. Trust me on that
I wouldn't want that either. I prefer to remain in control of my car at all times. I would not want a computer doing it. What happens if the computer system gets hacked or malfunctions?
You'd be surprised how much of the modern world is controlled and maintained by computers.
Thing is, no system or design is 100% safe from hackers and malfunctions. You can get close to it, but at 99% you will always have that 1% chance that problems will arise.
In the end it's the question: will we spend 1 million USD to get a 75% proof system, or will we spend 100 million USD to get a 95% proof system. It all comes down to money in the end.
I'm sure I would be, but I would hazard a guess that none of these things are as immediately dangerous as a *car*. A computer controlled traffic system is practically begging for terrorists and/or hackers to get control of it just to see what kind of damage they can do. (An override button would be nice, but it doesn't protect you against thousands of other cars which are now gunning directly for you...)
Smeg, hasn't anyone here seen Live Free Or Die Hard? And that was just the freaking TRAFFIC LIGHTS!
Almost every single airline plane is 100% computer controlled. The pilot merely gets the aircraft airborne and lands it. That's all he does.
indeed. I hate to say this, but Amtrak's looking awfully good right now...
Don't forget that trains are also guided by a computer controlled system... I suggest you walk
Actually most of the bigger ones can land themselves too. The pilots are encouraged to do it themselves with some regularity just to maintain proficiency though.
However, these are all onboard computers at work. Control functions aren't networked as far as I know. So the Cylons will be stymied.
I actually thought it was the opposite - that the pilots flew the plane, and the computers handled takeoff and landing....
Well, to be fair, trains pretty much have to go on the rails, so there's not *quite* as much opportunity for disaster. Unless you're suggesting a hacker could make the trains derail, and I'm not sure how they could do that.
Thank God for small favors.
A plane flown by a computer that can't be hacked (assuming there is such a thing) is not so bad.
As for flying cars, though, I don't see where I was so far out of line. Are all of you seriously telling me that you wouldn't mind having your car driven by a computer? Traffic control systems *would* need to be networked, and any networked computer can be hacked. Doesn't that bother you even just a *little* bit? Whether it's a pimply-faced nerd or Al Qaeda, it's just as dangerous.
Don't forget that trains are also guided by a computer controlled system... I suggest you walk
Well, to be fair, trains pretty much have to go on the rails, so there's not *quite* as much opportunity for disaster. Unless you're suggesting a hacker could make the trains derail, and I'm not sure how they could do that.
Thank God for small favors.
A plane flown by a computer that can't be hacked (assuming there is such a thing) is not so bad.
As for flying cars, though, I don't see where I was so far out of line. Are all of you seriously telling me that you wouldn't mind having your car driven by a computer? Traffic control systems *would* need to be networked, and any networked computer can be hacked. Doesn't that bother you even just a *little* bit? Whether it's a pimply-faced nerd or Al Qaeda, it's just as dangerous.