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From: mat@amdahl.UUCP (Mike Taylor)
Newsgroups: net.aviation
Subject: Re: Primary aircraft proposal.
Message-ID: <762@amdahl.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 17-Dec-84 12:18:04 EST
Article-I.D.: amdahl.762
Posted: Mon Dec 17 12:18:04 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 19-Dec-84 00:35:46 EST
References: <4@decvax.UUCP> <213@terak.UUCP> <332@wnuxb.UUCP> <217@terak.UUCP>
Organization: Amdahl Corp, Sunnyvale CA
Lines: 36

Distribution:na

> 
> You have to spend a LOT of money to get a plane that will provide
> reliable transportation in all weather conditions, and there is
> no obvious way to reduce the costs of THAT TYPE of airplane.  The
> Primary Aircraft proposal is an attempt to lift the burden of
> all-weather/all-conditions certification from fun-flying type planes.
> After all, you wouldn't seriously take a J-3 Cub or an Airknocker
> type of plane into IFR conditions or even make extended flights
> in severe turbulence.  And it's awfully hard to kill yourself in
> a forced landing at the speeds that a J-3 lands at.  Even without
> "crash-worthiness" improvements.

In many areas, most single-engine aircraft are not useful as reliable
transportation. Reliable ransportation means to me that arrival at
some place or event, on a predetermined schedule, is more important
than the process of getting there. The reliability of schedules in
small aircraft is terrible. Their advantage over the automobile on short
trips is highly questionable. To start with, once you get to the airport
you must extract your airplane, preflight, check weather, flight plan
and file, taxi, wait for departure (maybe clearance) etc. All these
things typically take half an hour to 45 minutes. At the other end, you
have to negotiate with the FBO, see the airplane secured, and get a car.
Another 20-30 minutes. Add in headwinds, vectoring, holding on the ground
or in the air and your speed can easily evaporate. In bad weather
areas, few SE airplanes are capable of dealing with winter hazards.
They won't start, and more seriously can't deal with icing.

Don't misunderstand me... I love flying, but no longer have any illusions
about the usefulness of the typical light aircraft. To have advantages,
you need long trips, fast aircraft, full instrument and deice, etc.

The depressed sales of these aircraft are largely due to their limited
usefulness, in my opinion. They are too expensive and fast for just
'boring holes in the sky'. I fully support the need to provide aircraft
that meet the needs of training and recreation, without the costs of
certification for purposes for which they are not useful.