Comments on: Helicopters for Everybody

By: Rebecca

Rebecca — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 08:57:14 +0000

Mr. McCain! How nice of you to drop by. I wondered where you where since i haven’t seen you on the other two blogs similar to this (DeadSeaScrollr and MesopotamianTabletsofYore). How are the houses?

By: John

John — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 01:04:01 +0000

I think this item is included in Obama’s $787,000,000,000.00 economic stimulus package!

By: Benita Barnard

Benita Barnard — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 05:15:14 +0000

Since I took my first helicopter ride last summer, I am now on board with everyone owning one!

By: Andrew

Andrew — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 03:03:18 +0000

From a health and safety viewpoint these things stink. Just from a product liability viewpoint these things would never be built today. Those contrarotating rotors must both be less than 6 ft off the ground – wifey and Nazi boy would be mincemeat if they rushed up to papa’s machine on his return home before the blades of death had stopped rotating.

But it’s easy to mock this sort of thing. The attractions of personal aircraft are obvious is the practical problems can be overcome. Who can’t say that a fusion powered, GPS/autopilot guided version of the hoppicopter won’t be saving wear and tear on roads, massively reducing road building costs and speeding our journeys to the offices we’ll no longer need (due to 100% teleworking, at last) in the future?

By: Thundercat

Thundercat — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 19:47:04 +0000

BAH! This will never replace my atomic powered car!

By: BonzoGal

BonzoGal — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 19:04:36 +0000

Love how the artist shows a provocative flash of thigh on “mom” there in the first panel. Naughty naughty, Mr. Tinsley!

By: sporkinum

sporkinum — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 17:34:24 +0000

Why does the control stick go almost all the way to the ceiling? It’s not an abberation as the mail copter is like that too.

By: Mark

Mark — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 17:00:45 +0000

You have to love these kinds of “gee, won’t the future be great!” articles: ignore all practical aspects like crashes and how woefully inefficient helicopters are for a lot of things….just assume everyone will use one. I love the mail delivery – I’m sure the wife will just love hanging out on the roof in driving rain waiting for the mail drop!

By: Jim A

Jim A — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 12:51:34 +0000

Well the co-axial rotors help some with the stability issue. But the fact that the lower rotor appears to be about 5′6″ off of the ground would lead to some horrific ground handling accidents IMHO.

By: Robert Inkol

Robert Inkol — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 23:56:02 +0000

It’s well known that helicopters are inherently unstable. Rooftop operation as shown would be really exciting in all but the lightest winds – note the garage structure and chimnies that would be just ideal for snagging the undercarriage or rotor. If you do a google search for hospital helipads, you will find that there is a host of requirements that are flouted in the illustrations.

Robert

By: Omi-san

Omi-san — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 20:23:41 +0000

It’s funny how that boy looks like a miniature man rather than a child.

By: Paul

Paul — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:21:04 +0000

The wife is wearing a slightly sinister expression. It gives the impression she has sabotaged the copter to collect on the husband’s life insurance.

By: LightningRose

LightningRose — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 17:41:47 +0000

My first reaction on seeing the roof tops was, “Where’s all the pigeon poop?”. Then I realized, with all those Whirling Blade’s ‘o Death(tm), pigeons will *not* be a problem in American cities of the future.

By: MrG

MrG — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 16:36:16 +0000

You have to admit that this would be a definitely fun toy — as a private ultralight sport machine, not so different from a Bensen- or Wallis-type gyrocopter. But as a means of mass transportation its major usefulness would be as a scheme of population reduction. MrG / http://www.proboards.com

By: Marina

Marina — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 11:53:01 +0000

Landing on roofs isn’t the best idea – What about people living on the last floor ?

By: Don

Don — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 10:35:15 +0000

They sure don’t make any more test pilots like the one flying the second version. Mini skirt and bikini top certainly seems much safer attire than Mr Pentecost trying to spin up the engine while sporting a loose tie.

By: Toronto

Toronto — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 07:29:21 +0000

I really want some of whatever Frank Tinsley was abusing, I gotta say. Just for establishing a baseline, you understand, as to how freakin’ whacked out was he, most days.

By: Chris Tucker

Chris Tucker — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 06:01:12 +0000

Where’s the ashtray and lighter?

Surely it was not expected that a man do without a cigarette as he’s flying to work at the agency.

By: Randy

Randy — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 05:38:35 +0000

That is not to say that there isn’t some decent-looking design work, just that it looks more like a 5-minute duration kind of hobby machine than a practical vehicle.

By: Randy

Randy — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 05:30:15 +0000

The hoppicopter engine looks really tiny, maybe a war surplus 2-cylinder target drone engine? Doesn’t seem like it could be more than 15 or 20 hp… The thing looks about as practical as a rocket belt.

Randy

By: slim

slim — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 04:59:20 +0000

I like the mail copter lowering the bag to the woman on the roof. There’s a practical idea. I suppose there would also be FedEx and UPS hoppicopters.

By: Toronto

Toronto — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 04:57:04 +0000

Yeah, and the Hitler Youth uniform is a bit odd, too.

By: Rick Auricchio

Rick Auricchio — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 03:42:48 +0000

The hair curlers and housedress are a nice touch.

By: John M. Hanna

John M. Hanna — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 02:18:37 +0000

Wife: “Bye honey! Have a nice day at work!” (to herself) “He’s so dead! Hello big insurance payoff!”