Pilotless airplanes. Would you fly in one?

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Ford, number 146 of 200 produced and the last airworthy one left. Pretty cool opportunity.

Crap. That means the one I rode in North Carolina is no longer air worthy.

EDIT I shall be snapping and posting pics. Should take off right over my house, I've been watching it that last two days. It's a noisy bitch.

Video!!!!!!

[Seth]

Airline pilots don't make a hundred thousand or more a year just for driving the aerial bus back and forth every day, they earn their lifetime wage all at once when something goes catastrophically wrong, like Captain Sully Sullenberger.

Which makes pilotless aircraft an interesting potential for transporting military cargo perhaps, but not for moving people.

Taking a pilot out of a drone or a fighter or even a cargo transport aircraft removes them from the threat of being killed and the awesome expense of training and qualifying them only to have them killed off after ten minutes of combat is a reasonable thing to pursue, but for transporting human passengers? No way. Never going to happen.

[laklak]

Video!!!!!!

Oooo - video! I'd forgotten we even have that. OK, I'll video and Mrs. Lak can snap.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Video!!!!!!

Oooo - video! I'd forgotten we even have that. OK, I'll video and Mrs. Lak can snap.

If we don't get video I will snap.

[laklak]

Can't have that.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Pity they didn't have a Plan B.

[laklak]

You always need a plan B. Sometimes even a plan C. It's the responsible thing to do.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

You always need a plan B. Sometimes even a plan C. It's the responsible thing to do.

Plan B cost poor Dr. Serizawa his life. And in vain to boot, because I'm not that easily done in.

[laklak]

One-eyed Seri? Yeah, he didn't see things clearly.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

One-eyed Seri? Yeah, he didn't see things clearly.

He saw a few things clearly:

[Seth]

That's a scribal error, actually, the original revelation said Virginians.

I hear Washington and Jefferson were among Osama's allotment.

No, it's virgins...all of whom are over 80, look like Andrea Dworkin, and have permanent PMS.

[FBM]

...they earn their lifetime wage all at once when something goes catastrophically wrong, like Captain Sully Sullenberger.

I wonder what sort of bonus somebody like Sully gets when they do something so extraordinary...

[Gawdzilla Sama]

...they earn their lifetime wage all at once when something goes catastrophically wrong, like Captain Sully Sullenberger.

I wonder what sort of bonus somebody like Sully gets when they do something so extraordinary...

I think he'd donate it if he got one. The only time I've seen him "cash in" on the event was when he endorsed a campaign to collect money for children's cancer research.

[laklak]

The Tri-Motor flight was goddamned excellent. I've tons of pics and video, which I will post soon as I edit them. What an utterly cool piece of machinery. The control cables run on the outside of the aircraft, when the pilot pulls or pushes on the wheel or pedals you can see the cables moving the elevators and rudder. The gauges for the wing-mounted engines are on the mounting struts - to see the oil pressure or cylinder temps the pilot has to lean out the fucking window and look backwards. The interior was inlaid teak and leather, like an early century rail car in a fuselage. The thing was in the air at maybe 50mph after no more than 1000 or so feet of runway, it flew so slowly it felt like being in a dirigible. Well, except for the almost visceral engine vibration. One thing that really struck me was how fast the procedure was. You get used to flying in jets, where there's all this engine run up and general farting about until you start moving. Which this thing you crank the engine, pop the clutch and off you go. No fuss, no muss, no bother. Seated 9 passengers plus 2 cockpit crew, everybody got a picture window seat. I doubt it was even safety glass, but then again it's not a pressurized cabin so no need for fancy windows, eh? Definitely worth the 80 bucks, if you get a chance I highly, highly recommend it.

[FBM]

Sounds like a blast, laklak. Can't wait for pics and vid.