July 28, 2006
YOU MEAN THE BRAZILIANS DIDN'T INNOVATE THESE?:
Very light jet takes big step skyward (The Associated Press, 7/28/06)
A new fleet of very light jets that could redefine the way Americans travel received preliminary certification Thursday from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).Posted by Orrin Judd at July 28, 2006 9:50 AMIt's the first step in getting 2,500 of the planes skyward to help reduce congestion at major airports, Acting Transportation Secretary Maria Cino said.
The FAA granted Eclipse Aviation of Albuquerque, N.M., the certification for the Eclipse 500, a cheaper and faster type of flying SUV, during a ceremony at the Experimental Aircraft Association's 54th annual AirVenture fly-in in Oshkosh.
Vern Raburn, a former Microsoft executive, is president of Eclipse Aviation, a venture that is backed by Bill Gates. He said the company expects to receive the final FAA approval by Aug. 30, allowing its first 50 new jets to be delivered to customers this year.
Everyone's been wondering when all the flying cars they promised us in the last century would show up, since we're already 5 percent through the 21st Century. I guess we'll have to start with flying SUVs first.
Posted by: John at July 28, 2006 10:50 AMInnovation is overvalued. Read about the history of Xerox's PARC research facility. It's about who can exploit innovation - someone else's or their own it really doesn't matter much. I'm not sure if Toyota ever innovated much of anything beyond efficient production lines, at least compared to Daimler Chrysler or GM, but it's hard to argue the results.
Posted by: Rick T. at July 28, 2006 4:34 PMOJ is holding out for flying trains.
Posted by: jefferson park at July 29, 2006 11:30 AM