Icarus Series #1: Innovate or Die
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This series will draw metaphors from the famous Greek mythological story of Icarus.
If you are unfamiliar; Icarus’ father (Daedalus) was an amazing craftsman who built his son a pair of wings made of wax and feathers. Against his father’s guidance he flew too close to the sun and melted his wings, crashing to his death in the ocean. This ancient story holds a lot of wisdom for general aviation that this series will explore.
INNOVATE OR DIE!
Lack of innovation in general aviation is our wings of wax. Aerospace over the last 110 years has prolifically innovated. It has gone from rickety kites to space ships. The general aviation sector – not so much.
Oh sure we have composites now versus fabric, pretty screens instead of steam gauges in the cockpit, and the little wheel in the back got moved to the front, but can we really say we have seen a century worth of true innovation in GA? Of course not.
The word innovation comes from the latin word innovates – to renew or restore.
THE FACTS
1) We still deal with the same safety issues we had since the beginning:
– Loss of control in flight
– Controlled flight into terrain
– Running out of fuel
– VFR into IMC
2) Our main powerplant technology comes from the 1940s:
– Air cooled horizontally opposed engines (1930s technology)
3) The materials we use to build airplanes is going on 40 years since the last innovation:
– Composites came in the 1970s, I will concede that we continue to refine that one
– Riveted aluminum came on the scene between the world wars
– Fabric and wood (Wright flyer)
In fact we are actually going backwards. Flying is more expensive than ever before. This has spurred some innovation, like Light Sport, but it’s far from a breakthrough. The Ultralight movement of the 1980s was innovative and during it’s time it captured the imagination of may wouldbe flyers, but has waned in recent years.
If we fail to innovate we can expect to continue to decline. Is it too dramatic to say that if we don’t have a true breakthrough within the next 30 years, GA as we know it will cease to exist? Draw your own conclusions.
Ok I glossed over the whole revolution we have had in avionics within the last decade. This is an incredible development and certainly has proven its worth. It is less expensive, more flexible, more reliable, and infinitely more capable than the equipment it replaces. The ability to have this level of situational awareness is insane. Traffic, terrain, and airspace are visually depicted and our position is never in doubt. Our forefathers could never have dreamed of such capability. This is true innovation. Creating something that most couldn’t even imagine.
What does the future hold? You have heard this from me before, but electric propulsion will most likely be the next breakthrough innovation. <click here to see related article for all the goodness of E-flight>
What else could we potentially innovate? If I knew that I would be out in my garage giving it a go and filing for patents.
At a high level the obvious categories are:
– Structures: maybe structures that sense cracks that could alert us before something goes hideously wrong. How’s that for a safety enhancement system wide?
– Construction materials: How about inexpensive materials that are so light and strong as to be beyond current comprehensive. How would that change the game?
– Propulsion: Electric or maybe other more cosmic methods could be adopted to provide the necessary impulse for our aerial vehicles.
– Aerodynamics: Just because there’s been a stasis in aerodynamic breakthroughs doesn’t mean we know it all. Look at what Rutan did in his hangar with his aerodynamic feathering re-entry system within the last 10 years.
– Training: What if training could be turned on its ear and completely shift the paradigm of the average GA pilot?
– Procedures: New procedures, yet to be theorized, might change the way we approach light aircraft flight.
– Affordability: That’s a novel concept. How about figuring out a way to make flying cheaper. That’s innovation.
I feel that we are just too comfortable to with the status quo and we have lost our desire or courage to innovate. Companies need to think outside the box and get a little crazy. That’s where the magic happens. Don’t believe me, look at innovators like Jobs (apple), Bezos (amazon) and Musk (paypal) those guys are the real deal. They took on monolithic industries and re-wrote the rules. Musk is going to do it twice more with SpaceX and Tesla. I haven’t seen anyone do this within GA in the last 20 years (if you are thinking of an example – please post it below).
I purposely wrote this from a slightly cynical perspective, but I wanted to trigger some thinking. What do you believe is the next breakthrough innovation for GA? Who do you think is currently innovating out there? Throw your thoughts in the comments below.
COMING SOON!
Icarus Series #2: The Hubris of Flight
Icarus Series #3: Fly For Life
Icarus Series #4: Structural Weaknesses
Icarus Series #5: When We Should Fly Close To The Sun
Icarus Series #6: Icarus On Airmenship
BONUS: The first person to comment below on what rock band used the image of Icarus for its record label will get a free copy of The Pilot’s Guide To Flying On a Budget (a $21.25 value).
By Brent Owens <click my name to email me>
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Great article, I hope something comes out of it. I would love to fly but can’t afford it. The name of the band was Iron Maiden.
Thanks
Mike
Thanks Michael! Iron Maiden had an album that used the image of Icarus, but not their label – which was EMI.
Are you looking for Iron Maiden? The group did Flight of Icarus, but don’t know if it was part of their label. Keep up the thoughtful writing.
Thanks Bill! Nope, not Iron Maiden.
Flight of Icarus, Iron Maiden
Thanks Lou! You guys are close with Iron Maiden.
Brent I think the big inhibitor of innovation is the regulatory environment. Teddy Roosevelt once said that one of the things that will destroy this country is a “safety-first instead of duty-first” mentality. I think that applies to the way in which the federal government has regulated aviation development. Yes, some regulation is necessary to keep cheap, unsafe manufacturers out of the picture, but let’s face it – aviation is a dangerous industry. We have to be able to innovate and invent without having to worry about the pile of forms, bureaucratic red tape, and unnecessary testing (relative to what’s being developed). I agree that we’re behind, and from a political standpoint we’re going to have to decrease the fiefdoms found in our vast federal government system before we can even consider getting back on track.
By the way, Led Zeppelin is the band in question!
Rob,
You are so right – on both points – we have become somewhat risk adverse as a society. We could never do a moon mission like we did back in the 60s. We’ll likely never get to Mars as a result.
And yes Led Zeppelin is the band. Since you already have the book, I will donate it to a person of your choosing or shoot you a refund.
Brent
Lou mentioned one of my favorite bands, I think he should get the book based on style points! Oh, and P.S. your book is worth every penny. The wheels are in motion with the wife to get me flying GA again very shortly because I think I can reduce the cost significantly over what I had previously calculated.
Awesome Rob! The book goes to Lou via donation from you! I look forward to hearing about your re-introduction to GA!
Good article, great thought provoking concepts! We really need to lower the price in Australia, GA hire is just too expensive.
I know Fat Boy Slim have an album cover where the fat kid is wearing wings
Thanks Grant!
I appreciate the topic – it’s an important one. I have the opposite sense though – innovation is steady and we have great opportunities in the US to do so, enabled by the FAR rules on experimentals and Light Sport, especially compared to most other countries. I’m always amazed at the almost total freedom I have as a non-A&P Super Chipmunk rebuilder.
You cite the advances in avionics as an example of innovation, which includes the recent revolution in cockpits brought about by access to satellite weather plus iPad-like devices for weather, charts and traffic. But perhaps my reading of mags like Kitplanes and Sport Aviation has colored my perceptions of the rate of advances. I see them proliferating in every area of GA. A favorite example of structures and design innovation: Synergy Aircraft (https://www.facebook.com/SynergyAircraft). Many others are refining tried and true aerodynamics and construction principles to crank out kits for the masses, bringing much greater performance at a significantly lower price than certificated aircraft. Vans Airforce is now 8,000 strong and growing, and that’s just the most well-know example of a highly successful kit. When I read sites like Homebuiltairplanes.com I’m struck by the number and variety of projects amateurs have underway, some just trying to build a flyable airplane on the cheap and others going for bold innovation. It’s out there and I believe EAB aircraft have reached the tipping point.
I have a vision for the next big thing in EAB: a completely “mass designed” aircraft. Call it Open Design. Freeware CAD design with many configuration options, supported by many designers and builders plus free-market parts/module suppliers. I’d love to explore this idea further with anyone interested.
All the Best, Mark
Mark,
Excellent points! There is a lot to celebrate. Thanks for this thoughtful contribution. As an RV8 builder/flyer I have certainly taken advantage of the benefits you speak. Good stuff indeed!
Brent
I’m a little late to the party on this one, but let me say your post inspired my next BIF entry… which is due tomorrow (zoinks!) so I’ll let you read it then.
Ron,
That’s cool! I can’t wait to read it. Always glad to help a brother out.
Brent