Exactly on the line
My wife and I are shopping around for a second hand car. A herculean task nowadays. At least you don’t have to wait 6 to 18 months like in the case of new cars, but the supply is thin. What all the cars have in common is that they have more and more tech and fancier gadgets. I am used to driving minimalistic old cars with spartan features. Automatic start-stop systems and lane assistants are still voodoo to me.
Anyway, why am I rambling about cars? Because today’s strip reminded me think of “lane assistants” … maybe Julio could add one to the Cessna for Chuck! As usual, when I make a joke like that, I’m always waiting for a comment from one of our readers going “Actually, there are things like lane assistants for airplanes …” So … are there? How about blind spot or park assistants? 😉
Stef
“And remember, doc – you asked for it!” — Bugs Bunny
I don’t know if RAAS qualifies as a lane assistant, and still trying to figure out how to parallel park a Skyhawk. Can’t speak for automatic start, but automatic stop does exist, simply don’t take care of or don’t fuel your engine, and it’ll automatically stop! Park assistant exists too, for larger aircraft using gates at serious airport terminals. A cheaper version exists for the rest of us – if you hit something, you’ve gone too far.
Keeping with the ‘car’ theme, Chuck’s mistake could be worse. A narrow runway with a centerline doesn’t look all that different from a 2-lane blacktop, and there are a few generally-remote places where planes routinely land on the road. Of special note is the forgotten town of Amboy, CA, where pilots can land next to and taxi onto a portion of Route 66.
“And remember, doc – you asked for it!” — Bugs Bunny
I don’t know if RAAS qualifies as a lane assistant, and still trying to figure out how to parallel park a Skyhawk. But…
Can’t speak for automatic start, but automatic stop does exist, simply don’t take care of or don’t fuel your engine, and it’ll automatically stop! Park assistant exists too, for larger aircraft using gates at serious airport terminals. [Keeping it simple, look up ‘stand guidance system’ on your local search engine.] A cheaper version exists for the rest of us – if you hit something, you’ve gone too far.
Keeping with the ‘car’ theme, Chuck’s mistake could be worse. A narrow runway with a centerline doesn’t look all that different from a 2-lane blacktop, and there are a few generally-remote places where planes routinely land on the road. Of special note is the forgotten town of Amboy, CA, where pilots can land next to and taxi onto a portion of Route 66.
*I apologize for the doubled comment. My browser closed the screen and must have auto-submitted an earlier copy of my comment; if you guys could delete the first one it’d be appreciated. Thanks, and Happy Holidays to all! — JS
After reading J Segal’s comment, I just HAD to look up Amboy airport, partly because I’m a Route 66 junkie and partly out of curiosity. I did not find the airport or town on AirNav, but I found it on Google Earth at 34d 33′ North by 115d 44′ West. The runway measures to be a little less than 4,000 feet long (Around 1200 meters for those that don’t measure things according the the length of the king’s foot), and the southeast end of the runway sure enough has a taxiway that leads out to ‘Murica’s Road.