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  1. Topaz

    Change.org: Urge the FAA to Address the Deficit of Ultralight Aircraft Instructors

    Basically a full-flight autopilot that slowly gives the trainee more and more authority (with CYA "monitoring" in case they do something stupid) until they're doing it on their own? I can see that. Liability will be a hurdle, and the tech isn't there YET. Somehow, the more foolproof they build...
  2. Topaz

    Change.org: Urge the FAA to Address the Deficit of Ultralight Aircraft Instructors

    That's my memory of how it went down, yes. "Two place for instruction" was used far, FAR, more for "me and a passenger up for fun and we'll call it 'instruction'" until it was completely and blatantly obvious what was happening, and the FAA said, "enough." LSA came along at the behest of EAA and...
  3. Topaz

    SDS EFI 30th Anniversary

    Congratulations, Ross! From one business owner to another, I'm thrilled to see your long-term success. I'm sure it's been a heck of a ride, and that you wouldn't trade it for the world. Again, congrats!
  4. Topaz

    Experimental Soaring Association 2023 Western Workshop & Symposium

    Unfortunately, not yet. I've been absolutely buried in work at my business, which is why you've also not seen me around here as much lately. Between the holidays and my workload, I've just not had a spare minute. I've got everything copied over to my computer and set up in individual folders...
  5. Topaz

    What airplanes have you flown?

    I understand why many people might feel that way. In my particular case the Chief involved was my dad's, and so will always hold a special place for me.
  6. Topaz

    Seabee and the Paradigm Plane

    I see it as fundamentally the same as the VLJ fad of the late 1990's that you mention. The same utility claims are being made, the same assumptions, and the same appeals to investors. "More torque" doesn't change any part of that equation.
  7. Topaz

    Seabee and the Paradigm Plane

    It's the "e". All of the rest of the concept has either already been done (helicopters) or tried to be done (Fairey Rotodyne, early "commuter" gyrocopter concepts, etc.). All of those turned into either very niche markets (helicopters) or outright failures. How does adding "e" to the concept...
  8. Topaz

    B-29 Replica Takes Shape

    This is so true.
  9. Topaz

    Achieving static stability

    Came here to say exactly this. Absolutely hands-down the clearest discussion and calculation of pitch-axis stability and control out there. His spreadsheet #7 is perfect for learning and perfect for using to set stabilizer incidence and to develop a trim plot for your design.
  10. Topaz

    Historic hangar at former air base in Orange County goes up in flames

    I live a very few miles from these. I see them at least once a week. Tustin MCAS has been closed since the 1990's. There is no activity, and likely little security, at any time let alone the middle of the night. The hangars are owned by the Department of the Navy, not the city of Tustin. The...
  11. Topaz

    Contenders for National Championship Air Races from 2025

    Agreed. IMHO, the Unlimiteds died when the sanctioning body made so many moves to protect the legacy iron from innovative new designs. The Pond Racer may not have worked out well itself, but it pointed to a future that should have been. The Sport and Formula 1 classes are much more interesting...
  12. Topaz

    Horrible news from Vans Aircraft

    Moderator Note (again): Two non-attorneys sniping at each other over legal concepts is even less productive than the run-of-the-mill speculation elsewhere in this thread. Please keep it about the topic, not the people speaking on it.
  13. Topaz

    Ohh Kalifonicate

    "Hanged." Clothes are hung, people are hanged. Proper terminology is very important in these matters. ;) More seriously, the city attorney is probably telling the council that they're wrong, and clearly the council is ignoring them. This'll end up in court.
  14. Topaz

    Horrible news from Vans Aircraft

    Wow. Eleven pages of some pretty astute business analysis, really dark speculation based on little more than pessimistic guesswork, and the usual "OMG, the sky is falling!" rumor-mill. Lawsuits! The End is Nigh! "They're all greedy incompetent bad people!" Sniping at each other over spelling...
  15. Topaz

    Horrible news from Vans Aircraft

    It's not necessarily a bad thing in the long run. Reading though the release, they were hit with several unexpected challenges to cash flow. The need to ramp up production is always a challenging time for businesses. The expense is up-front, but the payoff doesn't come until later. Then the...
  16. Topaz

    Eviation

    I don't think anyone is standing opposed so much as standing skeptical of the claims. The notion that "our vehicles will create a vast new market" is the one that makes me the most twitchy. Those exact markets have been attempted before, and there's nothing special about electric power to...
  17. Topaz

    Eviation

    ^This. The eVTOL vehicles being produced now are very impressive technology and have come a long way but, with apologies to those in this thread actively involved in that industry, those companies are chasing the same moribund air-taxi model that doomed several generations of tech before them...
  18. Topaz

    Eviation

    No, and if I'm heading up to or back from Los Angeles an hour either side of 9am or 5pm, I take the CBR. As you say, it's the only way. Otherwise, you're sitting there creeping a hundred yards every 15 minutes - on a good day. I've been in sections of freeway where it's too narrow to split, and...
  19. Topaz

    Eviation

    Heh. I've been a passenger for someone driving that. It's traffic, but it's not bad traffic. Boston in the Big Dig tunnels can be slow, too. But traffic? Try the I-5, 101, 210, 710, or 105 at rush hour in Los Angeles. And there's no way around it. No train (Metrolink is limited to very narrow...
  20. Topaz

    Eviation

    I know it's hard to fathom, but there are entire states with millions of people not only west of the Mississippi, but west of the Rockies, too! Contrary to popular opinion "back East," you really don't fall off the edge of the world once you go past Kansas. ;) Out here, we consider the...
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