Finally! A way to make a small fortune on an aviation investment

2028 hahahaha. Tell me you don't know how the FAA works without telling me.
 
I think most are missing this key point on their website. And to tie it into the other thread "Why is General Aviation Dying," if these type aircraft become as popular as recreational drones....

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172andyou said:
It's light sport under mosaic, right?
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Let's take the icon A5 for example. The prototype was first flown in 2008. The first production aircraft flew in July 2014. These guys don't have a flying prototype. Sure it's light sport. But there is still some FAA oversight.

Perhaps less to do with how the FAA works and more to do with how aviation works.
 
Another eVTOL pipe dream.

How many decades has the dream of a flyable vehicle for the average Joe been proposed? Most seem to miss the point that flying is a little more involved than strapping wings on a car, the operator has to be trained and licensed as well! The average driver has no interest in getting a pilot's license, and honestly have you seen how most people drive? Would you want every other driver on the road in the air?

I won't say there is no future in eVTOL, technology does evolve. But it will be in niche markets for niche customers. It is not going to be the next big thing for the general public.
 
Racerx said:
Perhaps less to do with how the FAA works and more to do with how aviation works.
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Yeah, that seems more plausible to me.

I don't know what their odds of success are. Aviation chews up dreams at a rate perhaps only bested by medical research. That said, their idea is super sexy and I wish them best of luck.
 
midwestpa24 said:
I won't say there is no future in eVTOL, technology does evolve. But it will be in niche markets for niche customers. It is not going to be the next big thing for the general public.
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Yeah, the $100B market cap they claim can only be met by autonomous vehicles. If the target market requires any kind of training, it's going to be very small.
 
With all the road rage and incompetent drivers out there, I can't even imagine flying cars.
 
Luigi said:
With all the road rage and incompetent drivers out there, I can't even imagine flying cars.
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First time one drops into a crowded schoolyard during recess obtaining insurance protection for the assets of the owner / pilot will probably cost as much per year as half the aircraft.
 
Racerx said:
Perhaps less to do with how the FAA works and more to do with how aviation works.
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It has more to do with the changes the FAA has implemented since 2017 than anything else. Any comparisons prior to that date really have no merit as those changes have literally rewritten how aircraft certification in done now. And even as they work out the details of these new regulatory systems, the difference between now and then is quite remarkable. And from what I've seen and explained in other threads, this new category of personal flight will take-off, pun intended, faster than most think it will. Interesting times ahead.

midwestpa24 said:
The average driver has no interest in getting a pilot's license,
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I believe context is everything. That same average driver had no desire in the 1970s to get a pilots certificate either. However, the numbers of those people who did want a certificate dropped considerably since then for many different reasons which is why recreational aviation is declining. But if it was just the aviation side, ie., flying, that was the reason, why have the numbers of drone registrations and remote pilot certifications exploded in just the past 10 years? Now combine that growing interest, with recreational eVTOLs and powered-lift pilot certifications, and you have the foundation for a new aviation growth market.

172andyou said:
If the target market requires any kind of training, it's going to be very small.
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Not really. And if Part 194 is any indication, the training for recreational eVTOLs, ie., powered-lift, will be more streamlined and affordable than current Part 61 requirements. No autonomous component needed.
 
Bell206 said:
Not really. And if Part 194 is any indication, the training for recreational eVTOLs, ie., powered-lift, will be more streamlined and affordable than current Part 61 requirements. No autonomous component needed.
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To get a sense of perspective: Auto sales are about 700B a year. These guys are claiming one seventh of that for this market. I just don't see how that could possibly happen if any training is required. But it's not nearly as crazy a thought if my cousin can just climb in, tell it a destination and watch videos for 20 minutes while the evtol does the work.
 
172andyou said:
I just don't see how that could possibly happen if any training is required.
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No idea where he is getting his numbers as they are a bit inflated from the reports I’ve seen. Then again, he is asking for investments.

Regardless, training is merely the cost of admission as it is for any other aircraft within the recreational aircraft market. And if that LSA powered-lift training cost comes in at 20-30-40% less than other aircraft types, along with the ability to obtain an LSR to maintain their eVTOL, I think the barrier will be low enough to see that market grow as the remote pilot and drone markets did.
 
Bell206 said:
Regardless, training is merely the cost of admission as it is for any other aircraft within the recreational aircraft market. And if that LSA powered-lift training cost comes in at 20-30-40% less than other aircraft types, along with the ability to obtain an LSR to maintain their eVTOL, I think the barrier will be low enough to see that market grow as the remote pilot and drone markets did.
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Well, on the website for this latest pipe dream, it says, "25 hours training." And of course nobody needs more than the minimum for any pilot certificate, right?

I suspect a lot of people obtained remote pilot certificates just because it's so easy, particularly if you already have some type of pilot certificate.
 
Dana said:
And of course nobody needs more than the minimum for any pilot certificate, right?
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I believe it has more to do with the minimums required for eVTOLs and how that training is accomplished. And with the FAA shift to performance based rules for powered lift you'll see more variances in guidance such as the release of SFAR Part 194. Same type of changes are being discussed on the mx side as well.

As to the number of remote pilots, its my understanding it was driven more by it was the type of flying they preferred over flying conventional aircraft. Regardless, with the advent of the 1st new regulatory category/class of aircraft in many decades, there will be a number of changes to the status quo that most in aviation have not experienced before.
 
My son is about to get his driver's license and has needed 50 hours behind the wheel and 20 or so hours in the classroom. Driving a car takes training too. :dunno:
 
NealRomeoGolf said:
My son is about to get his driver's license and has needed 50 hours behind the wheel and 20 or so hours in the classroom. Driving a car takes training too. :dunno:
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Had no idea their was a minimum hours... And that those minimums to get a driver's license is greater than a ppl.

I was racing cars when I was 14 and had my permit prior to turning 15. Somehow still failed the driving portion yet won a race later that night. Left foot braking was frowned upon.
 
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