News for hackers. Stuff that matters.
Re:Hyundai and Uber Unveil Autonomous Pods, EVTOL Aircraft, ... by heyflyguy on Friday January 17, 2020 @06:58AM (#22073913)
The more I read these articles, the more I want to start some kind of citizen regulatory or acceptance body. I'd develop environmental conditions, failure modes and noise sensitivity tests for all of these air taxis to abide by.

As a manned aviator and after having spent 10+ years now playing with drones and working with drones, I am very skeptical of these safety claims and noise promises.

Re:Hyundai and Uber Unveil Autonomous Pods, EVTOL Aircraft, ... by mdorazio on Friday January 17, 2020 @11:22AM (#22075978)
You want to recreate the FAA? They already regulate and sign off on most of the things you mentioned before aircraft carrying passengers can fly.
Re:Hyundai and Uber Unveil Autonomous Pods, EVTOL Aircraft, ... by heyflyguy on Friday January 17, 2020 @12:34PM (#22076938)
I think what I want is something like the AOPA or AMA, but for consumers / citizens.
Re:Hyundai and Uber Unveil Autonomous Pods, EVTOL Aircraft, ... by nradov on Friday January 17, 2020 @12:04PM (#22076513)
The FAA accepts regulatory input from private citizens. Submit a formal petition for rulemaking.

https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/rulemaking/petition...

Re:Hyundai and Uber Unveil Autonomous Pods, EVTOL Aircraft, ... by heyflyguy on Friday January 17, 2020 @12:15PM (#22076671)
The way the FAA handles rulemaking itself is deeply concerning. They intentionally underfund the departments that need the staff to do the analyses. Then lobbyists set up shop inside the FAA itself. I would encourage you to go to the FAA offices in DC and look at the Amazon presence.

Rulemaking bodies are comprised of "industry leaders" (mind you, that for Part 107 about 50% of these "thought leaders" now have defunct companies). I will point you to Airware as a prime example, who rumor has it never completed a revenue earning flight with their own air vehicle and autopilot.

These industry leaders use their own proprietary technology and investor slide decks to establish as "the way to be safe" and that gets pushed into some weird kind of law that serves little more than the isolated interests of these ridiculous bodies of people.

A popular saying is that "the FARs are written in blood". IE: the FARs come into place because of a pilot error or aircraft accident. Letting these new flying car companies help decide what is safe is going to end up in a disaster.

Re:Hyundai and Uber Unveil Autonomous Pods, EVTOL Aircraft, ... by nradov on Friday January 17, 2020 @03:00PM (#22078594)
Have you submitted a formal comment on any NPRM?
Re:Hyundai and Uber Unveil Autonomous Pods, EVTOL Aircraft, ... by walrus01 on Friday January 17, 2020 @11:45AM (#22076262)
I would be very surprised if the FAA and Canadian, western European civil aviation regulators don't require something functionally equivalent to being able to operate with 25% of the lift rotors dead or disabled (an even higher degree of redundancy than a four armed, coaxial eight motor/prop octocopter filming platform today, which can lose 1 out of 8 motors and likely land safely), plus also a ballistic parachute. Something like what is mounted in the top side of a Cirrus VisionJet.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cirrus_Vision_SF50