It’s International Civil Aviation Day (an odd day to choose when you consider what else aviation accomplished on December 7…). Let’s look at whether self-driving cars will make piston-powered aviation even less defensible as a transportation tool.
Last month I embarked on a day trip to Orlando for Free Play Florida. It’s a 2:15 drive from our house, nearly all of which is on roads that GM Super Cruise or Ford BlueCruise could handle as well as, of course, any of Elon Musk’s creations.
Much to my surprise, I was able to do this 150-mile trip via Cirrus SR20 in only a little more time than it would have taken, door-to-door, by car. The Cirrus was more fun, I guess, and saved me from the monotony of staying in a lane on Florida’s Turnpike for two hours (the autopilot handled nearly all of the enroute flying). Let’s look at the cost. Driving:
- 300 miles round-trip at IRS rate of 70 cents/mile = $210 (and that’s the marginal cost for someone who already owns a car; day trips aren’t for the working class anymore, thanks to the miracle of coronapanic shutdowns that made cars cost more than $50,000 and the open borders that keep their wages low)
Flying:
- I drove 50 miles round trip to the airport so that’s $35 at IRS rates
- Two hours of Hobbs time in the old Cirrus round-trip at flight school rates (which include fuel) is about $1,000.
- Three $20 tips, one at each FBO encounter: $60 (not required, but I enjoy saying the no-longer-ironic “This will pay for half of your next Starbucks” and, also, I like to reward people who go to work every day in what has become a work-optional society)
- Rental car in Kissimmee (KISM) plus gas = $130. (Would presumably have been cheaper at MCO, but the general aviation fees there are higher.)
Piston GA is thus slower and about 6X the cost ($1,225 total). It was more fun because I interacted with some nice people at both Stuart and Kissimmee (other pilots, line guys, front deskers, the Go Rentals gal). Tesla FSD users say that they find the fatigue level from monitoring the self-driving system is only about one third of what is when actually driving. So the trip could have been done via FSD at the same fatigue level as a 50-mile-each-way excursion. Also, most Americans love to consume alcohol. More or less everyone at the Columbia restaurant in Celebration (Disney’s New Urbanism community) was drinking sangria and I could have indulged in a glass if I hadn’t needed to fly back later that evening (Grok says that I could have three drinks before getting close to the legal limit, but I’m a lightweight so my practical limit is one drink).
(Maybe alcohol will ultimately be banned in Celebration, though? In a 15-minute walk around the lake I observed at least three burqa-clad Muslims and I don’t know why they’d want their kids to see women in halter tops drinking margaritas at outdoor tables. There are plenty of dry towns in Maskachusetts. It would be tougher to implement this in Florida according to Gemini because FL Section 562.45(2)(c) prevents a locality from stepping on the state’s regulatory toes.)
Separately, I want to give a small shout-out to Signature (formerly “The Evil Empire”) for mostly keeping piston GA alive by waiving nearly all fees with the purchase of a minimal amount of 100LL at nearly all of its locations (not KTEB!). It’s an unwelcome economic event, I’m sure, when a piston aircraft shows up but Signature does a good job of hiding its disappointment.
“Flying is hours and hours of boredom sprinkled with a few seconds of sheer terror.” — Pappy Boyington
Seems occupants in a self-driving car would share that experience — like, for instance, when it decides the reasonable and prudent speed limit in a residential neighborhood is 55. Or when it reaches a four-way stop along with 2 other self-driving cars and a human driver at the same time.
Does owning and flying a piston single airplane make any less sense than owning and helming a small boat or yacht?
Was it ever economically defensible?
Right, this type of flying is one of a number of expensive, fun hobbies. Phil riding the Decelera train was another example of doing something for fun and novelty, not practicality. There’s really nothing to defend, everyone needs to have fun and if you have the money, why not? It’s not like it has lead emissions…
Daniel: People who boat say that they enjoy their time in the boat. They don’t say that the boat has any practical utility, e.g., to get from Point A to Point B. By contrast, Cirrus at least promotes the SR20 and SR22 as having actual utility: “The Cirrus Life™ opens doors and makes life experiences more attainable with the convenience and flexibility of travel in your Cirrus aircraft. The special moments you can be present for, the in-person connections that reassure your business longevity and the lifetime memories that cannot be replicated. … Whether it is closing a deal, catching the big game, escaping for getaways or spending cherished time with family and friends – experiencing the moments that matter most to you is now in reach.”
> They don’t say that the boat has any practical utility, e.g., to get from Point A to Point B.
From Horizon Yachts (the stripped-down, el-cheapo is 7 megabucks), we have:
The horizon has many meanings to a navigator at sea:
it is a focal point in which to concentrate,
a goal to reach by continuing forward,
and a beacon of light and hope.
If that isn’t practical utility, I don’t know what is. Horizon Yachts for President 2028.
Seriously though, for $4000 and your existing SUV to tow it, you could have a lot of fun sailing a used Sunfish. I bought, restored, licensed and sailed one for an entire summer for less than 2 hours of time on the Hobbes meter for the Cirrus (even adjusted for inflation). The practical example was taking a girl for a sail in the cozy cockpit to try to close a deal. You could also drink beer while operating it at $2/domestic six pack up to the BAC limit.
Surprised how much interest has shifted from models to general aviation in the last 15 years. Not sure if everyone became richer or DJI made models too boring.
I’m sure I’ll be terrified of FSD my entire life so my fatigue level will be off the charts. And I’m a believer in Musk and technology generally but that is just too much inertia going down the highway.
I bought some flight sim gear and still have not once used it LOL. I really want to I’m just too lazy to set up video games. I actually bought some other games that friends recommended and never once used those either.
“The only good reason to fly your own airplane is the irrational desire to do so”
(original quote from VC Ben Horowitz: “The only good reason to start your own business is the irrational desire to do so”, speaking about his experience trying to get wealthy as an entrepreneur, versus being an employee or investor)
Florida pilot attempts to avoid Signature’s fees:
https://x.com/MyNews13/status/1998418019878310295
Textbook execution of an emergency engine-out landing on a freeway. Find an isolated Toyota Camry, and flare right on top of it to cushion the impact. Unbelievably, “a driver of a car suffered minor injuries.” 👏👏👏
Fox News’s coverage of the landing linked to this company, hopefully solving Phil’s conundrum of fly vs. drive — why not both?
https://alef.aero/
I find it depressing that most people don’t have the want to fly themselves. Maybe that’s a good thing, since GA probably couldn’t take the load of most of the population (in current guise at least).
I fly my family around, we can go places that would be impractical in the car. You have to think different, we can’t plan as far ahead (day VFR only to minimize risk), but it works!
I’ll just think myself as super lucky. It’s a pretty amazing privilege.
Self driving cars are cool tech, but… Will never be as amazing as going by air.