[Gondring]

Back when she wrote the book Commercial Aviation was still largely driven by piston engines; and the sort of planes that folks like Reardon and Dagny might have been able to fly might fly 140 mph tops.

In what year do you suppose the book is set?

For example, they could have flown in a Gulfstream, which opened the year of publication. Taggart or Dagny could buy a good ride.

[ml/nj]

In what year do you suppose the book is set?

It could be set now. It doesn't matter. Almost no one flies his own jet. Jet planes require a ton of money, and employees to operate and maintain. You can't just fly the things once in a while when you feel like it. You can't even just fly a simple single engine plane once in a while when you feel like it. You have to be "current" which for most people means doing a lot of non-productive flying, particularly if one is instrument rated. (And if one is not instrument rated in an area with weather such as we have near NYC, one can't really depend on being able to fly when one wants to go someplace, especially someplace far away.)

ML/NJ