Comment by signatoremo
17 hours ago
We also had carriages before cars. What’s the deal of so many “X already exists therefore any replacement is pointless” posts?
17 hours ago
We also had carriages before cars. What’s the deal of so many “X already exists therefore any replacement is pointless” posts?
Because the need is fulfilled adequately. They are not solving anything new or revolutionising anything old, these are dumb ideas for dumb people to throw money at hoping it sticks.
> the need is fulfilled adequately
It is not. Wilderness rescues are extremely resource constrained due to the costs involved coupled with the fact that those in need of rescue were fully aware of the risks before they set out. There's a severe limit to how many tax dollars will go towards bailing adults out of situations of their own making. Lowering costs would quite literally save lives.
Is it?
Are we — as a species — really going to spend until eternity grovelling around on the ground?
If not, then we need personal aircraft.
Unless you figure out a way to turn off this pesky thing called gravity: yes.
Even birds spend the majority of their times on the ground.
What is there to do not-on-the-ground?
Other than wait to be on the ground again?
Then get a PPL
At least with respect to aviation, we don't have any non-combustion power-trains that can remotely come close to the power-to-weight ratios of turbine engines.
The earliest cars were replacing the animal muscle power of carriages--a trivially easy feat given that the most primitive steam and combustion engines easily 10x both the raw power, power-to-weight, and power-density of a team of horses.