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  1. D

    Testing XPS foam for epoxy adhesion/bonding

    x1000 times this. People are using fabric and wood still because they're cheap. XPS covered in fiberglass might not be better than vacuum bagged carbon, but it doesn't have to be. If it's better than fabric and plywood, then it has a place.
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    Cheap aircraft are simply impossible? :(

    The whole thread is about how GA is broken, and you're responding to my suggestions by saying that it isn't broken?
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    Cheap aircraft are simply impossible? :(

    I think that 3A is actually 2A. And I think you mistake my criticism for complaining. I think of complaining as simply pointing at the state of things without offering an alternative, or a way forward. I don't think that's what I'm trying to do at all. I'm trying to point to the way forward...
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    Cheap aircraft are simply impossible? :(

    Like I said, luddites.
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    Cheap aircraft are simply impossible? :(

    Lol, fair enough. But I meant it literally. I'm working two jobs, going to grad school full time, and parenting my three little girls and trying to be a decent husband. The short version is that nearly everything you said about auto engines vs. aircraft engines is demonstrably false. While...
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    Cheap aircraft are simply impossible? :(

    I don't have the time or energy to address everything that you said that was just plain factually incorrect. So, I'll just focus on this bit: you are giving an example from consumer electronics, and one that is unreliable precisely because of how much it interacts with a human. The ECU in your...
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    Cheap aircraft are simply impossible? :(

    As a minor point: Airliners do not use control cables. For the more major point: implementing fly-by-wire allows for computer controlled intervention in flight systems at a level that's simply impossible without. This is why fighters can get away with the degree of built in instability and...
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    Cheap aircraft are simply impossible? :(

    I can't speak for everyone, but I don't see myself as a downer. I'm absolutely While this might be intuitive, it's also wrong. What you're missing is the difference in reliability between solid state electronics and a cables and pulleys. If your only interaction with electronics is consumer...
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    Cheap aircraft are simply impossible? :(

    It's actually primarily a regulation issue, I think. And fwiw, I think the next 20 years will be better than the last 20. The FAA needed to be pushing regulation forward 30 years ago instead of favoring the status quo so heavily. An efi requirement in all new certificatied engines, as well as a...
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    Cheap aircraft are simply impossible? :(

    I'm genuinely confused at why you think a common complaint about the cost of general aviation has anything to do with what I do or don't want to be in charge of.
  11. D

    Cheap aircraft are simply impossible? :(

    That doesn't really address the Luddite objection, the safety objection, the opportunity cost objection or the cost of general aviation overall.
  12. D

    Cheap aircraft are simply impossible? :(

    With the possible exception of weather, simulators are really ideal for training the kinds of situations you're talking about. It's what they did with the Apollo flights and the shuttle, and I'd venture that even xplane is good enough to train most of those things. I think it would certainly be...
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    Cheap aircraft are simply impossible? :(

    So, I figure I'll add my 2c. Some background: I'm in my 30's, I have small kids (my oldest is 9, my youngest is 2). In many ways, I think I would be a good candidate for an inexpensive airplane. So here are the things that are issues I see: 1. General aviation is controlled by luddites. It's...
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    Driveshaft development

    Nice.
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    Driveshaft development

    This is the effect we're after (among others).
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    Articles / Blog - Ultralight Design Concepts

    Wow, these are great. I've only had time to skim them, but they seem well explained and a good balance between depth and accessibility.
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    Twin Engine Corvair powered JAG-2

    Wow, that is a nice interior.
  18. D

    Moldless Composites in the Modern Era

    Re: Rutan Quickie / Q200, Q1, Q2 I wouldn't use Android as an example of successful "open source", as a good portion of the source code is proprietary. I think RHEL is probably a better example. Fedora has a lot of features and is free/libre. But there's also a lot of features and support...
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    Moldless Composites in the Modern Era

    Re: Rutan Quickie / Q200, Q1, Q2 I was thinking along the lines of "anything up to 51%", but where that 51% can come in different stages of the product, depending on what the builder's skillset lacks. The one that I would be thinking of (as a buyer) would be wiring. Fiberglass doesn't scare...
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    Moldless Composites in the Modern Era

    Re: Rutan Quickie / Q200, Q1, Q2 I'm not sure I agree that not releasing plans is a good idea. The way that software has gotten around this is by selling support and what you might consider "build assist". I would open source the plans. You're not going to be making enough from the plans...
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