xplanephil

that's actually how take-off distance is defined regulatory. The take-off distance of a plane is over a 50ft obstacle (i.e. a line of trees at the end of the runway or similar).

you can literally land a carbon cub on a helipad on top of a hotel: https://www.flyingmag.com/carbon-cub-pilot-takes-stol-to-the...

The problem with pusher configuration is that the prop operates in turbulent air, that has already ben disturbed by going around the rest of the airplane. Whereas in tractor configuration, the prop grabs "clean" air. This is traditionally cited as the reason why pusher prop planes are louder (from the outside). In fact, one of the noisiest GA planes is the Cessna 337, which is a pull-push twin configuration.

The advantage of the Piaggio Avanti is that you can do away with the prop heat completely, as the hot exhaust from the turboprop engine simply blows on the blades. Which makes for a very nice anti-ice system.

interestingly, I don't have much trouble with that, as it works exactly like most airplanes that I fly as a pilot.

An airplane autopilot is a dumb device, in that it does execute _exactly_ the plan you tell it to, and it is up to the pilot to at all times decide whether the current plan still makes sense or needs to be altered. So the pilot makes the strategic decisions, and leaves most of the physical tasks of flying to the autopilot.

I find myself using my M3 w/FSD in exactly the same way, as that I put on autosteer pretty much immediately when I'm out of the driveway, but I constantly nudge it into the lane that I want it to be in (by using the turn signal) or push the accelerator when I think it is taking too long pondering a turn. So i leave the physical driving (keep lane and distance) to the car but manage the car to always go exactly where I want it.

I have no trouble staying alert this way when doing medium long drives. Long highway drives where autopilot is so good that it requires no manual interaction is where the trouble starts and I find it hard to keep paying attention.

This is where in an airplane you have a copilot and can discuss strategic things like overnight stops, fuel stops, etc... Maybe Tesla needs a built-in chatbot to make me do that :)

The guy who ignores all established standards (do one thing well) in order to reinvent a square wheel, now works for the company, that, wait a minute, has been well known for ignoring all established standards (IE box model anyone?). Yup, he's going to do just fine!

Forgive my ignorance, but what's this "deadline for EICAS" you are talking about? Are they going to change part 25 certification requirements? Is there a source, a draft document for that?