There are three rows of seats, but the back row can only accommodate children. On the inside, the cabin feels about the size of a large SUV. $73 million Bombardier jet makes first flight (The fuselage parts are assembled into a finished airplane at Cirrus's Duluth, Minn. parts factory, wouldn't be possible using metal. The Vision Jet's mouse-shaped fuselage, made at the Chinese-owned company's Grand Forks, N.D. Carbon fiber is light but very strong and stiff. The big windows come thanks to carbon fiber construction. The Vision Jet has windows almost as big as a car's that provide a panoramic view of the world outside. Most planes with pressurized cabins have tiny oval portholes. The most remarkable feature on the Vision Jet is probably its enormous windows. This Vision Jet's seats can be easily repositioned inside the cabin for a number of seating configurations. That means it can fly high enough to go up and over bad weather instead of having to wait it out or go around it as a less expensive plane might do. The Vision Jet also has a pressurized cabin that allows occupants to breathe at very high altitudes without oxygen masks. Unlike cars, in which a higher top speed has little practical benefit, a faster plane, like a jet, can actually get you somewhere much sooner. The other benefits have to do with speed and altitude. Now these folks can casually insert references to "my jet" into barroom conversations. But, by cutting the personal jet's price in half, Vision Jet opens the world of personal jet ownership to a lot of people who, until now, have been relegated to piston-engined propeller planes. Sure, $2 million may sound like buckets of money to most of us. But same as Tesla’s Autopilot on land, this system makes the sci-fi fantasy feel close at hand.With a sticker price of $2 million, it's a bargain compared to most private jets, which run about $5 million. If autonomous flying air transportation ever arrives, it’s still years of testing and legal rulings away from reality. If that system can’t get you to land safely, the Vision Jet has a parachute that will deploy, and land the plane right side up. The difference between this and a commercial jet’s systems is that those pilots are trained to know how to specifically monitor the autopilot, and be ready to intervene if needed. Sounds futuristic, but automatic landing systems have existed for year- in general, for non-pilots and non-enthusiasts, a startling amount of flight is automated. It touches down, and slows to a safe stop. It descends as gently as if an expert pilot were in control. With the clear runway in sight, the landing gear deploys, and the plane slows down. The system accounts for every variable-altitude, weather, terrain, fuel level-and tells air traffic control to have help ready. The plane then finds the nearest available airport, notifies the right frequencies of your emergency, and steers towards a safe runway. The screens flash “Emergency Autoland Active,” and tell you to keep away from the controls while it works. You hit the button, and a voice calmly announces that the system is active. It's also available on the Piper M600, and will likely be available in other planes soon. In practice, it means that, if the pilot is incapacitated, land the plane safely, without human intervention. It’s an autopilot landing system built by Garmin, and part of the G3000 flight deck system. Because, unlike in commercial jets, there might not be a human copilot to take over in an emergency, this Cirrus has Safe Return.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |