n_ermosh

Thanks!

you're totally correct that emergencies are where the real issues lie. That's why we've built in multiple layers of fault tolerance so that a generator failure or a flight computer failure doesn't immediately revert you to a direct law control scheme (I'm assuming you're familiar with Airbus control laws given that you're using those phrases)

On top of everything, small GA aircraft have the luxury of being to use a ballistic parachute (which we will have) to bring the entire airframe to the ground in the event of a complete system failure. Which is always better than just letting the airplane crash into the ground.

I agree that proficiency is a fundamental issue. We want to make it easy to be and stay proficient. If flying becomes part of the primary mission, you do it more often and as a result stay proficient. The most dangerous pilots are the ones who haven't flown in 3 years and jump into a plane for an IFR cross country to an airport they've never been to before. We don't want that to happen either.

You are definitely correct that "learning to become a pilot" is the meat of training. Our belief is that we want to make the continued act of "aviating" as easy as possible so that pilots can focus on the decision making aspect of being a pilot, and when doing so, not let the airplane get ahead of them and cause an accident.

Basically, you can't command the plane to do anything it can't safely do. If you pull the stick full back, you'll just climb at your maximum safe angle of attack. Hold the stick full right, you'll be turning at a 45 degree bank. Compared to todays planes, which you have to actively be on top of and "ahead of" the entire them they are being flown.

thanks!

once you get to wanting to travel about 150 miles, the time savings do start kicking in, even if you assume 30-45 minutes of getting to the airport, preflight, etc. The benefit of a small airplane is that at small airports, getting from walking up to the airplane and then into the air can be pretty quick. And part of our goal is the automate as much of the prelight process as possible, wherever we can do it safely

Thanks! Our early adopters are a combination of new pilots, those that have already begun the training process, and even some experienced ones that want a better, safer flying experience

Most accidents occur because the pilot makes a bad decision somewhere and a chain of events leads to an accident (in GA--commercial is a completely different beast). Our hope is to break that chain by making it as easy as possible for the pilot to continue flying the airplane and bring it safely to the ground in a high-stress emergency.

A lot of the existing training system from the FAA and others all emphasize aeronautical decision making and single-pilot resource management. It's the core thing that we are taught when we learn to fly.

Also, under the upcoming MOSAIC regulations, such airplanes will be LSAs and flyable with a sport pilot license.

You're definitely right that the cross continental trip is a big and common one. however, 90% of long distance trips are made by car in the US with a median trip distance of about 200 miles. If we can make flying as easy as driving, the ability to make that trip in half to a third of the time, we believe that's a big win and incentive for a lot of people. There are 19,000 small airports in the US and 300M people live within 15 miles of at least one. So we totally think it's reasonable for that medium distance trip to be done by GA airplane rather than car.

The way we see it isn't less training, but training focused on the most important parts of flying: decision making and risk management. Given the current track record for accidents, they almost always culminate in the pilot failing to control the airplane, whether due to directly stalling or being distracted by another issue and then stalling. By eliminating loss of control as a failure mode, pilots can spend more of their minimum 40 hours on decision making and risk management training, rather than on stick and rudder training. Then when in the air, they put more of their mental load on ADM. We are just breaking down the barrier that stops people from even getting there in the first place.

all things we've thought about!

1. today, you need a PPL to fly this plane. However, a new set of regulations, called MOSAIC, is coming down the pipeline that have support for aircraft with simplified control systems and getting licensed in such aircraft, specifically when they are small, light airplanes. Basically, you'll be able to get a license in such a plane, skip the parts of tests that don't apply, and be restricted to only flying that type of airplane (This is my interpretation, I obviously don't speak for the FAA)

2. The current ATC system handles personal aircraft quite well. this is especially true in busy airspaces like LA. Our hope is to create a more automated routing system where you just enter the destination you want to fly to, the system generates the route taking into account, terrain, weather, winds, standard routes, airways, etc, files it with ATC for you, and you just confirm that it's a good path and be on your way.

3. This is the core of our system. In the demo video, the landing I'm doing has a cross wind with some gusts and you can see the system handles it super easily and makes it significantly easier to takeoff and land, even in turbulence. you can barely tell there was any kind of weather at all.

4. This is a tough one for sure. One core thing we are doing is having our joystick be active and have force feedback. So when flying, you can "feel" what the system is trying to do and you can push back on it if you don't like what it's doing. You as the pilot are still in charge of what happens, we just making it easier for you to execute on it. Additionally, there's lots of UI elements that will provide hints to what you are asking the plane to do + what it can do + what it's actually doing. This should help close that loop so that the pilot is still in control, while letting the system handle the aviating elements of flying.