May 22, 201214 yr Yup, and it promises a lot. http://synergyaircraft.com/ A 5-seat personal aircraft with better fuel efficiency than cars! Having the ability to transport 5 passengers with a fuel efficiency of 40 miles per gallon (about 17 kilometres per litre) and with a low production cost! It would finally mean a serious start for moving towards a situation where owning your own GA aircraft can become more feasible and achievable. The pane looks pretty fast and manoeuvrable too. For safety reasons they've decided on a service ceiling of 25,000 ft for now and apparently the Synergy plane is able to go much higher! Who wouldn't mind having one of these?!
May 23, 201214 yr In the 1960's they said the year 2001 was going to be space age........we are 2012 and we are no closer to that vision yet. If anything we are two steps back right now with the loss of the Concorde and the Space Shuttle. Matthew Kane I'm Dyslexic, what's an error to you is not to me
May 23, 201214 yr Moderator For safety reasons they've decided on a service ceiling of 25,000 ft for now... I wonder what safety reason that would be? It's just as easy to kill yourself and/or passengers at altitudes much lower than 25,000 feet. You would think that maybe a ceiling of at least 12,000 would be safer and eliminate the need to carry oxygen. I didn't read the article but I wonder what price range one of these would come it at if and when they go into production? Avsim Board of Directors | Avsim Forums Moderator
May 23, 201214 yr I wonder what safety reason that would be? It's just as easy to kill yourself and/or passengers at altitudes much lower than 25,000 feet. You would think that maybe a ceiling of at least 12,000 would be safer and eliminate the need to carry oxygen. I didn't read the article but I wonder what price range one of these would come it at if and when they go into production? That's because there are more regulations you need to comply with when you go up above 25,000' § 23.1527 Maximum operating altitude. ( a ) The maximum altitude up to which operation is allowed, as limited by flight, structural, powerplant, functional or equipment characteristics, must be established. ( b ) A maximum operating altitude limitation of not more than 25,000 feet must be established for pressurized airplanes unless compliance with §23.775(e) is shown. Chris Miller
May 23, 201214 yr In the 1960's they said the year 2001 was going to be space age........we are 2012 and we are no closer to that vision yet. If anything we are two steps back right now with the loss of the Concorde and the Space Shuttle. Yup I know, the 21st century has been a huge let down do far.............. But hopefully things will get back on track soon, at least I hope so. I wonder what safety reason that would be? It's just as easy to kill yourself and/or passengers at altitudes much lower than 25,000 feet. You would think that maybe a ceiling of at least 12,000 would be safer and eliminate the need to carry oxygen. I didn't read the article but I wonder what price range one of these would come it at if and when they go into production? Not sure of their reasons for keeping it under 25,000ft - maybe its regulation/s or they're just not willing to go over that height for the time being. They have tested the aircraft much higher than that in simulations only so far and they're happy with the results. Its impressive to know the aircraft can go this high, many prop planes are limited to 20,000ft and under, with GA piston single engine aircraft usually limited to below 15,000ft. Also no mention anywhere of the possible price for one of these, but that is probably because they are still in the early development stages. They mention the aim is to make it 'low price', about the same as for a new family car (not a Ferrari). If its too expensive the whole point would have been lost.
May 23, 201214 yr That's because there are more regulations you need to comply with when you go up above 25,000' § 23.1527 Maximum operating altitude. ( a ) The maximum altitude up to which operation is allowed, as limited by flight, structural, powerplant, functional or equipment characteristics, must be established. ( b ) A maximum operating altitude limitation of not more than 25,000 feet must be established for pressurized airplanes unless compliance with §23.775(e) is shown. §23.775 specifies that you have to do a lot of extra work on certifying your winshields and windows above 25,000' which sounds like a good reason to specify that as a maximum operating limit. Citing 'safety' as a reason is a bit iffy, economics and probably weight would be more honest. Looks like a cool plane, but the promises are rather over the top. It'll take more than throwing around some buzzwords to convince me. I don't know enough about aerodynamics to comment on all the drag reduction they're promising, but I see absolutely nothing in there about how they will achieve low enough production cost to be able to sell it for the cost of a family car. Saying your GA prop is ten times as fuel efficient as a jet is also somewhat disingenuous. John-Alan Pascoe
May 24, 201214 yr Citing 'safety' as a reason is a bit iffy, economics and probably weight would be more honest. When has anyone been honest when they are trying to sell their product Chris Miller
Create an account or sign in to comment