Planes, Trains and Automobiles By William Lama, Ph.D and John Lama
Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987) - IMDb
The U.S. Constitution guarantees freedom of movement. Mass transportation provides some freedom; personal transportation gives even more freedom. For more than a century, cars have been the symbol of personal freedom. Switch on the ignition, put it into gear and see the open road as a gateway to adventure. You are in control of your own destiny. What a marvelous feeling. It’s not surprising that Americans love their cars. On the Road Again by William Lama Ph.D. — Palos Verdes Pulse
After a century of innovation, vehicles powered by electricity are finally ready for prime time. Inspired by dreams of a “green” future, electric cars and electric trains are being pursued with governmental zeal. By law, 2035 will mark the end of gasoline powered car sales in California. Are electric planes in the future?
Planes
Mass transportation via commercial airlines will get you from point A to point B fast. President Kennedy promised to build supersonic planes and to land an American on the moon. We punted on supersonic transport, but made it to the moon a few times. Back on earth enroute from A to B, what if you’d like to stop at point C for a while? On commercial air you can forget-about-it! But there are planes that can give you that freedom. And they are a BLAST.
John’s Plane
People often ask me how I ended up buying an airplane. Flying is in my genes. In WWII my grandfather Charles Struck flew in the South Pacific with the 33rd Bomber Squadron before he was shot down and lost in July of 1944.
Lieutenant Charles Struck - 33rd Bomber Squadron, 22nd Bomber Group
My mother also used to tell me about her famous great Uncle Doug, popularly known as “Wrong Way Corrigan.” A pilot and aviation fanatic, he was frustrated at not getting approval for his dream flight, a non-stop Atlantic crossing to his home country of Ireland. Instead, on July 18, 1938 Uncle Doug got the OK to depart New York for Long Beach, but instead headed East and landed in Dublin, Ireland. When confronted by authorities after he said he had mis-read his compass and had flown the wrong way!
I took my first flight lesson in college, and continued after graduation, but classes were expensive. After moving to Colombia, I heard about the new Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) category of airplanes and the corresponding LSA private pilot licenses. Not only were the requirements for an LSA pilot certification easier to obtain, but the design and maintenance fees for a Light Sport Aircraft are significantly less than for the certified alternative. And not only are airplane construction costs lower in Colombia, but so are the expenses for ground school, airport fees, hangar rental, and fuel. In the end it was clear that buying an aircraft, obtaining my pilot’s license, and flying all made sense in Colombia.
My plane was a two-seater ultralight hand-built by Aerodynos de Colombia. The plane, called a JA177 Evolution, had a range of 500 miles and a top speed of 160 mph. The engine was a Rotax 100HP fueled by standard unleaded gasoline.
Rotax Aircraft Engines (flyrotax.com)
For safety’s sake, this ultralight plane came with a parachute, for the entire plane. In an emergency a rocket blasts through a plexiglass window designed to pop out when hit from below, pulling the parachute clear of the plane, even if it’s tumbling through the air. The whole-plane parachute is connected to the steel frame of the cockpit with thick nylon straps rated to hold 13,000 pounds each.
Whole Aircraft Rescue Parachute Systems | BRS Aerospace
And here is my finished plane. Great fun! No crashes!!
Trains
While there are no “personal” trains, high-speed rail is all the rage especially in China, Europe and Japan. The Japanese “Shinkansen bullet train” began operations in 1964. In America have the Amtrak Acela running from Boston to Washington D.C. at speeds up to 150 mph. In California we keep trying.
California's Electric High-Speed Rail: No Power, No Money, No 'High Speed'
High speed rail will get you from point A to point B faster than an automobile, and you can make stops at intermediate points C, D, E as long as they are on the main route. Then you have to wait for the next train to continue your trip. Bullet Trains are fast and comfortable with lots of consumer-friendly digital technology. But train technology is not exactly bleeding edge. The alternating current induction motors and transformers were designed by Tesla in the 1880’s. The latest systems run on magnetic levitation Maglev technology first patented in 1908. As these trains are driven by electrical power, they run on tracks under high voltage electrical lines that supply electricity to the motors. This is old technology pioneered by Germany’s Siemens Corporation in 1880.
The CATO Institute contends that “high‐speed trains were rendered obsolete in 1958 when Boeing’s 707 entered commercial service.” The fastest high-speed trains are slower than the 707, use more energy and are more expensive.
Flying Automobiles
According to George Jetson we should all be jetting around in flying cars. Have you seen the flying cars? Were the Jetsons just pulling our legs?
Flying Car | The Jetsons Wiki | Fandom
“You’re cruising down the road, turning heads faster than you turn corners. And just when you feel the Earth tugging at its leash, you flick a button, and the AeroMobil lifts you far above traffic, road signs and deadlines and you’re communing with the birds.”
It's a bird, it's a plane… it's a flying automobile?
A Real Flying Car Aeromobil
Aeromobils have a driving range of 600 miles, flying range 460 miles, driving top speed 100 mph, flying cruise speed 160 mph, climb rate 1200 ft/min, takeoff 1300 ft and landing 980 ft. These flying cars include a ballistic recovery parachute system.
If you don’t have a runway nearby there are vertical takeoff flying cars in development. Here is a helicopter-car from ASKA in California. ASKA is taking orders.
ASKA™ 4-seater eVTOL drive & fly vehicle for consumers, Los Altos, CA
There are even vertical take-off flying bikes now on sale in Japan.
See The Hoverbike That Can Fly For Almost An Hour At 60 MPH
Or for the animal lover, here is the Imperial Westie Speeder!
“Imperial Speeder Dog” ~ by Joost5 (tumblr.com)
William Lama Bio
Dr. William Lama has a PhD in physics from the University of Rochester. Taught physics in college and worked at Xerox as a principle scientist and engineering manager. Upon retiring, joined the PVIC docents; served on the board of the RPV Council of Home Owners Associations; served as a PV Library trustee for eight years; served on the PV school district Measure M oversight committee; was president of the Malaga Cove Homeowner's Association. Writes about science, technology and politics, mostly for his friends. email: wlama2605@gmail.com
John Lama Bio
John Lama graduated with a degree in economics from the University of Rochester. His first job was with Price Waterhouse in New York City where he rose to senior consultant. He then joined Summation Legal Technologies in San Francisco as director of sales and client development. After Summation was sold, he moved to Colombia, South America where he was a partner in Tao Minerals Ltd, a mining company. He is currently in real estate development.
