NASA aims to launch system of 'micro jets' to supplant big jetliners

South Florida Sun-Sentinel ^ | December 26 2002 | Ken Kaye

[Raynham Iron]

Dear Incorrigible:

This AM on TV someone said foolishly i think that a
million dollar cost to keep personal ground launched missiles
away from airliners were a bargain at only 1 Million dollars -per plane.
It would seem to me that the plus's of the Citizen Plane far
outweight the addition to ticket cost that 1 million
dollars a plane would bring.
Better sell that airline stock now

[mvpel]

Even renting a Cessna 172 with four people including the pilot for a flight from San Jose to Phoenix costs more than a coach ticket per person.

[cynicom]

dirtboy...

Eclipse has already done the math and is is profitable.

[Saturnalia]

As a monetary concept, no.
As far as "making things go NEEEEROOWWWW" they tend to do ok.

[Tijeras_Slim]

Eclipse 500 is already under production and is a winner.

Unfortunately the 500 needs a new engine, as the Williams unit proved underpowered. It hasn't made a flight since its first one earlier in the year. I still think the concept is solid, and if Vern Rayburn can't get it in the air, I don't know of anyone else who could.

[dirtboy]

Eclipse has already done the math and is is profitable.

There is "profitable" and there is "cost would be close to that of a coach seat". I imagine there are many people who would be willing to pay a premium for this service. I simply do not see it competing with the likes of Southwest - trained commercial pilots don't work for cheap, and with a small craft like this, the labor cost is only spread among four passengers instead of over one hundred.

[RightWhale]

Better sell that airline stock now

Is there a major airline that is not already in bankruptcy or close to it, or not receiving massive gov't subsidy?

[cynicom]

Eclipse has already sold their first two or three years of production in advance, mostly to those already in the air-taxi business. Their web site is worth reading.

[N. Theknow]

How is Aerobus doing with their bigass 3XX that is supposed to carry 600+?

Anybody know?

[pabianice]

This entire idea is nuts. Just what we need: thousands of additional aircraft inserted into an Air Route Traffic Control System on the point of collapse. A jet with two pilots carrying 2-4 people? Wicked efficient. Just what airways will they use? Where will they park? How will several thousand additional jets be sequenced into the system for instrument approaches? This is just the latest incarnation of the flying car fantasy.

[zeugma]

Are you for real?

I don't think I could stand to live in such a frightened state.

[Hemingway's Ghost]

Cool link. This is the kind of Jetsons stuff we expected from technology by now....

[Reeses]

Just what airways will they use?

Airways won't be needed in the future. Using GPS and computers IFR flights can fly great circle routes now. Airways are related to VOR navigation technology which is becoming obsolete.

The reason microjets will not be commercially viable is because of the Democrat / Lawyer symbiotic relationship. The Democrats feed off of the profits of product liability awards.

Cessna is one of the very few surviving airplane manufacturers. They were sued by a wet-behind-the-ears 172 pilot who stalled his plane when his seat slid backwards during a botched landing. No one died in the accident. Result: a jury awarded the plaintiffs $480 million dollars.

The legal leeches make many technologies impossible to implement.