n_ermosh

10 ms·

1.
by n_ermosh 2y ago
The control system knows what the rudder should be at all times for coordinated flight in the air, and keeping the nose and ground track aligned when near the ground for landing, performing the slip necessary when landing in a cross wind.
2.
by n_ermosh 2y ago
I'd love to chat through your questions directly--feel free to book a call with us through our website (just mention this HN post) and I'm happy to talk through everything
3.
by n_ermosh 2y ago
You can revert to a "direct law" in an emergency should multiple faults occur that reduce the capability of the flight controller. However, there's a question of is that the right move--if a pilot isn't regularly practic
4.
by n_ermosh 2y ago
I think there's definitely a "tried and true" and "if it aint broke don't fix it" mentality. Combine that with the fear of trying something new in the face of the FAA and regulatory barrier, many will say it&#x
5.
by n_ermosh 2y ago
Well, not exactly. In case of an engine failure, the system still has power from the batteries to control the actuator and glide the plane (in fact, it will automatically switch to flying at the best glide speed to extend it's range) t
6.
by n_ermosh 2y ago
we should talk! We are exploring how to make a subscription model work. It's not possible in an experimental category airplane, but our future models where they can be rented (legally due to FAA requirements) will make that possible.
7.
by n_ermosh 2y ago
Airhart Sling is just the first step too. yes, it's expensive, but it gets the tech into today's market. Our mission is to scale the market to develop a plane that costs <$100k by bringing in a new wave of people into aviation-
8.
by n_ermosh 2y ago
There's an interesting dynamic here--we (the industry today) are more okay with flying rickety airplanes from the 70s before flying something built with more modern engineering and production techniques. > As I understand it the ide
9.
by n_ermosh 2y ago
fair criticism--I should be more specific than just "green". our first model will still be a gasoline ICE airplane, but we are building a limited number of them to get our tech out there and get a new wave of people excited about
10.
by n_ermosh 2y ago
yep--we want to reverse that trend. And you are probably right, a lot of those 70s planes still fly today. hopefully we can replace them with better alternatives
11.
by n_ermosh 2y ago
We'll still encourage and require the same proficiency checks that pilots do today. Our hope is that GA pilots will no longer need to do things like train stall recovery. We are moving into an era of aviation where aircraft (not just a
12.
by n_ermosh 2y ago
The core innovation here is the fly-by-wire/simplified control scheme. This doesn't exist in any GA aircraft. As our system has been developed so far, it has negligible impact on the speed and usable load of a base TSi, costing $5
13.
by n_ermosh 2y ago
we've definitely thought about that! the force-feedback fly by wire makes it really easy to replicate the feel of flying the real thing very well. What you see outside though will be fixed, so maybe for instrument training it would be
14.
by n_ermosh 2y ago
this is definitely more of the "roadster". we will be building a limited number to get it into peoples hands as quickly as possible, with future models being lower cost, more efficient, and hopefully even better in terms of contro
15.
by n_ermosh 2y ago
We've talked to many and the complexity of flying a plane is a big factor--because the knowledge that if they mess up stick and rudder means they have a high chance of losing control and crashing scares them from flying. Our system hel
16.
by n_ermosh 2y ago
it is indeed a problem. however, Sling (who we are working with on our first model) is also developing a "Whisper" version of their airplane to make it dramatically quieter ( https://www.slingpilotacademy.com/airpor
17.
by n_ermosh 2y ago
> 150kt Cruise, 4h endurance - 400kg "useful" load for pax/luggage @ 4h endurance / batteries - 3-axis AP that'll do coupled approaches + autoland - BRS, FIKI, Oxy/Pressurized - $100k fly away Totally agreed
18.
by n_ermosh 2y ago
> The Ercoupe tried this exact approach in the 30s in one of the big GA booms and it just wasn't borne out. The Ercoupe was a great idea for it's time, but we can do so much more with the technology we have today that we didn&#
19.
by n_ermosh 2y ago
Today's batteries aren't quite good enough to hit the same performance. But developments in the hybrid electric space look promising. Battery technology is improving though, so in the relatively near future, it very well could be
20.
by n_ermosh 2y ago
a combination of altitude, commanded descent rate, and commanded airspeed transition the control system from flight to landing, flare and touch down, and into ground control mode.
21.
by n_ermosh 2y ago
Multiple sensors, actively modeling the flight dynamics to detect anomalous sensors/behaviors (i.e. is what we are measuring what we expect to measure), and BRS as a final backup.
22.
by n_ermosh 2y ago
yes I should have mentioned actuators as well. the actuators are internally redundant in terms of computation and power and will fail silent and not move if they disagree. Then, each control axis has 2 sets of these servos. I say axis, rath
23.
by n_ermosh 2y ago
The core flight simulator is x-plane with some of our own stuff on top
24.
by n_ermosh 2y ago
we won't want to lower the bar in terms of the pilot's ability to stay safe. But we do want to lower the barrier to entry so that more people can learn to do it, do it safely, and enjoy all it's benefits.
25.
by n_ermosh 2y ago
In your case, you do start to approach the point where time-wise it's about equal. But, 30 minutes to your nearest GA airport is on the long side, most people (300M) live within 15 minutes of one (don't have a direct source for th
26.
by n_ermosh 2y ago
We want to see prices go down too. That will only happen if more people want to fly airplanes and the market grows. So, we are trying to make it more accessible to people who wouldn't otherwise want to fly.
27.
by n_ermosh 2y ago
redundancy in sensors, computers, and actuators reduces the probably of a system failure due to random errors/failures and dissimilar computer systems help reduce the probability of a common mode software bug causing a failure.
28.
by n_ermosh 2y ago
I can't speak for what will or won't happen with MOSAIC, but the current proposal bakes in SVO so we (and a lot of other companies) all hope that stays. Yes, our first product is experimental and has a 51% requirement, but Sling h
29.
by n_ermosh 2y ago
We are starting in experimental, working with Sling Aircraft for the airframe, factory build assist, etc to prove out the exact product that we want to take to certification in the future.
30.
by n_ermosh 2y ago
In the 70s when a lot of this system was designed, the industry was selling 10x the number of GA planes it does today, so I imagine 10x more were flying as well. So we have the capability for an order of magnitude increase. We'll need

More ›