The universe according to MMM

[JoePCool14]

This is funny and all, but why the hell would the sky route need signs at all?  The individual vehicle owners aren't driving this plane carrying their car, so what do they care if there are I-90 shields visible?  Planes fly everywhere all the time with no 'signs'.

Did you become fixated on Back to the Future part 2 when Doc and Marty drop in on 2015 and there's marked roadways in the sky above Hill Valley, complete with signed exits?

Well because the exact mile markers and 3 dimensional corridor would need to be signed to be part of the interstate highway system. The balloons/ cables would even gradually increase and decrease in altitude near land to mark the exact route of the planes as they climb, cruise, and descend. Unlike a 2d road where you just need 2 barriers on each side to separate it from the rest of the locations, through the sky would would need 4 lines of balloons on each side to "enclose" the dimensional path through the sky. To meet interstate highway standards, they must have signs along most of the length and mile markers, and even state line info, including any roads with airborne connections.

I'm jumping into this mid-discussion, but why would this be necessary? I think if we had flying cars, we'd have navigation systems built in to our dash like a plane.

How would these floating markers and signs even work outside of some sci-fi fantasy?

[kalvado]

This is funny and all, but why the hell would the sky route need signs at all?  The individual vehicle owners aren't driving this plane carrying their car, so what do they care if there are I-90 shields visible?  Planes fly everywhere all the time with no 'signs'.

Did you become fixated on Back to the Future part 2 when Doc and Marty drop in on 2015 and there's marked roadways in the sky above Hill Valley, complete with signed exits?

Well because the exact mile markers and 3 dimensional corridor would need to be signed to be part of the interstate highway system. The balloons/ cables would even gradually increase and decrease in altitude near land to mark the exact route of the planes as they climb, cruise, and descend. Unlike a 2d road where you just need 2 barriers on each side to separate it from the rest of the locations, through the sky would would need 4 lines of balloons on each side to "enclose" the dimensional path through the sky. To meet interstate highway standards, they must have signs along most of the length and mile markers, and even state line info, including any roads with airborne connections.

I'm jumping into this mid-discussion, but why would this be necessary? I think if we had flying cars, we'd have navigation systems built in to our dash like a plane.

How would these floating markers and signs even work outside of some sci-fi fantasy?

But.. When did you fly last time? Didn't you pay attention on all those flying mile markers along the flight path??

[Max Rockatansky]

This is funny and all, but why the hell would the sky route need signs at all?  The individual vehicle owners aren't driving this plane carrying their car, so what do they care if there are I-90 shields visible?  Planes fly everywhere all the time with no 'signs'.

Did you become fixated on Back to the Future part 2 when Doc and Marty drop in on 2015 and there's marked roadways in the sky above Hill Valley, complete with signed exits?

Well because the exact mile markers and 3 dimensional corridor would need to be signed to be part of the interstate highway system. The balloons/ cables would even gradually increase and decrease in altitude near land to mark the exact route of the planes as they climb, cruise, and descend. Unlike a 2d road where you just need 2 barriers on each side to separate it from the rest of the locations, through the sky would would need 4 lines of balloons on each side to "enclose" the dimensional path through the sky. To meet interstate highway standards, they must have signs along most of the length and mile markers, and even state line info, including any roads with airborne connections.

I'm jumping into this mid-discussion, but why would this be necessary? I think if we had flying cars, we'd have navigation systems built in to our dash like a plane.

How would these floating markers and signs even work outside of some sci-fi fantasy?

But.. When did you fly last time? Didn't you pay attention on all those flying mile markers along the flight path??

Maybe MMM watched Back to the Future Part II recently?  The Skyways had floating signs and all the cars were being manually controlled despite being in the air.

[kalvado]

This is funny and all, but why the hell would the sky route need signs at all?  The individual vehicle owners aren't driving this plane carrying their car, so what do they care if there are I-90 shields visible?  Planes fly everywhere all the time with no 'signs'.

Did you become fixated on Back to the Future part 2 when Doc and Marty drop in on 2015 and there's marked roadways in the sky above Hill Valley, complete with signed exits?

Well because the exact mile markers and 3 dimensional corridor would need to be signed to be part of the interstate highway system. The balloons/ cables would even gradually increase and decrease in altitude near land to mark the exact route of the planes as they climb, cruise, and descend. Unlike a 2d road where you just need 2 barriers on each side to separate it from the rest of the locations, through the sky would would need 4 lines of balloons on each side to "enclose" the dimensional path through the sky. To meet interstate highway standards, they must have signs along most of the length and mile markers, and even state line info, including any roads with airborne connections.

I'm jumping into this mid-discussion, but why would this be necessary? I think if we had flying cars, we'd have navigation systems built in to our dash like a plane.

How would these floating markers and signs even work outside of some sci-fi fantasy?

Not for navigation, the pilots would handle that fine but it's to legally mark the airspace as part of the interstate. The planes would just be going in a straight line. Large painted signs could be held up by either helicopters or hot air balloons. Now of course the drivers may not be able to see outside the cargo plane while they are sitting in their car below deck or whatever, but the pilots would have secondary navigation system if the avionics failed. Each balloon would be just barely visible after passing the previous one at 200-300 mph.The balloons would have to be held stationary by some kind of automated system or grappling cable connecting to the ground, and an anti-swivel lock mechanism would be needed to prevent the balloons from rotating, turning the I-90 symbol out of view. They would also need to be painted in such a way that glow in the dark and are visible at night. No I haven't seen Back to the Future.

And who would be responsible for the overall system - FAA since those are planes; FHWA for interstate, coast guard for lakeside operation, or CDC? 

[GaryV]

How often do the planes fly? If I have to wait half a day to get on the plane, that would take longer than simply driving around Lake Erie or across Canada.

[wanderer2575]

Imagine being the schmuck that has a orbital tether BGS fall on them?

Would that person be a schmuck, or would they be a schlemiel, or a schlimazel?

I think more likely a schlimazel.

You are correct.  As the Yiddish saying translates:  A schlemiel is the one who spills his soup, and the schlimazel is the one in whose lap it lands.

[roadman65]

What did Louie Depalma say it was on Taxi?  He had his own definition for it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcZLRgenQ6Y
edit: His is what was said above but he had a second definition as well.

[kphoger]

Not for navigation ... but it's to legally mark the airspace as part of the interstate.

Route shields are not what legally define Interstates.  Remove all the I-24 shields, and the route is still an Interstate.

If anything, you just need a whole bunch of these little guys:

[kphoger]

Total time between touchdown and takeoff?  Any estimates?  I want a step-by-step breakdown of the process, with a time split for each step.

[kkt]

This is funny and all, but why the hell would the sky route need signs at all?  The individual vehicle owners aren't driving this plane carrying their car, so what do they care if there are I-90 shields visible?  Planes fly everywhere all the time with no 'signs'.

Did you become fixated on Back to the Future part 2 when Doc and Marty drop in on 2015 and there's marked roadways in the sky above Hill Valley, complete with signed exits?

Well because the exact mile markers and 3 dimensional corridor would need to be signed to be part of the interstate highway system. The balloons/ cables would even gradually increase and decrease in altitude near land to mark the exact route of the planes as they climb, cruise, and descend. Unlike a 2d road where you just need 2 barriers on each side to separate it from the rest of the locations, through the sky would would need 4 lines of balloons on each side to "enclose" the dimensional path through the sky. To meet interstate highway standards, they must have signs along most of the length and mile markers, and even state line info, including any roads with airborne connections.

I'm jumping into this mid-discussion, but why would this be necessary? I think if we had flying cars, we'd have navigation systems built in to our dash like a plane.

How would these floating markers and signs even work outside of some sci-fi fantasy?

Why even ask?  You know the answer will be just "Because I think it is necessary" or something equally uncommunicative.

[kirbykart]

This is funny and all, but why the hell would the sky route need signs at all?  The individual vehicle owners aren't driving this plane carrying their car, so what do they care if there are I-90 shields visible?  Planes fly everywhere all the time with no 'signs'.

Did you become fixated on Back to the Future part 2 when Doc and Marty drop in on 2015 and there's marked roadways in the sky above Hill Valley, complete with signed exits?

Well because the exact mile markers and 3 dimensional corridor would need to be signed to be part of the interstate highway system. The balloons/ cables would even gradually increase and decrease in altitude near land to mark the exact route of the planes as they climb, cruise, and descend. Unlike a 2d road where you just need 2 barriers on each side to separate it from the rest of the locations, through the sky would would need 4 lines of balloons on each side to "enclose" the dimensional path through the sky. To meet interstate highway standards, they must have signs along most of the length and mile markers, and even state line info, including any roads with airborne connections.

How often do the planes fly? If I have to wait half a day to get on the plane, that would take longer than simply driving around Lake Erie or across Canada.

The planes would be continuously circling, you wouldn't have to wait more than 10-15 minutes to be able to drive onto one. The ones that just finished going east to west, will now pick up the cars that want to go east, and the cycle continues. I estimate 20-30 planes, 10-15 in each direction, each capable of carrying 10-12 cars would be circling at any given time.

And all this is easier than just dealing with a 300-mile concurrency that is not confusing and only a problem to OCD nuts like yourself?

[GaryV]

How often do the planes fly? If I have to wait half a day to get on the plane, that would take longer than simply driving around Lake Erie or across Canada.

The planes would be continuously circling, you wouldn't have to wait more than 10-15 minutes to be able to drive onto one. The ones that just finished going east to west, will now pick up the cars that want to go east, and the cycle continues. I estimate 20-30 planes, 10-15 in each direction, each capable of carrying 10-12 cars would be circling at any given time.

Do the planes stop in Michigan to pick up local travelers going east or west?

[kphoger]

there's 20-30 planes so diving that at you get a few minutes of wait time

How many is "a few minutes"?  Did you factor in taxiing and refueling time to your calculation?

5-8 mins to load and lock all the cars in place

Do the drivers stay in the car?  Do you have an evacuation plan in case of a crash?  If not, then you need time for the passengers to exit their vehicles.

It's about 260 miles from Buffalo to Detroit
these planes fly at about 300 mph max
a 45-50 minute trip over Canada, then landing in Detroit

You forgot the time spent taxiing.  This is not zero.

cars unload and continue on I-90 across Michigan

How long does unloading take?

[SectorZ]

These planes would be nuclear powered and thus literally not need refueling for several years.

Nuclear powered planes, what could go wrong?

[kphoger]

Yes, the drivers stay seated in their cars below deck in the cargo bay. An evacuation done midair wouldn't affect loading/unloading times, that would be after they are already in the air. I don't understand the question.

My question is how passengers would be able to safely evacuate if they're belowdecks (so to speak) in their vehicles.

These planes wouldn't have to taxi. They would be positioned right at the end of the road facing the direction of the launch.

Of course they would have to taxi.  They have to get from the landing strip to the loading zone somehow, after all.

[ethanhopkin14]

I say speed boat across Lake (Lack) Michigan.  Have 10,000 speed boats rotating, like a chair lift at a ski resort, with one platform for one car (or truck), the car drives up to the ferry landing, drives on the speed boat, a crew chains your wheels to the deck and then the boat captain floors it 100 mph across Lake Michigan, and drops you off on the other side, skidding to a stop at the ferry landing.  Oh, there will be drones with gasoline that will refill the speedboats mid cross lake journey.  If the person in the car gets seasick, just roll down your window and vomit.  The speed boats have high pressure washing systems available.  Speedboats will operate 24 hours a day, every day of the year with no slowdown hours.  Drive up at 2:43 AM, your speedboat is there for you to be violently thrashed across Lake Michigan. 

[kalvado]

How often do the planes fly? If I have to wait half a day to get on the plane, that would take longer than simply driving around Lake Erie or across Canada.

The planes would be continuously circling, you wouldn't have to wait more than 10-15 minutes to be able to drive onto one. The ones that just finished going east to west, will now pick up the cars that want to go east, and the cycle continues. I estimate 20-30 planes, 10-15 in each direction, each capable of carrying 10-12 cars would be circling at any given time.

Do the planes stop in Michigan to pick up local travelers going east or west?

No, there are 2 separate legs of this journey that require plane connections. Over Canada and Over Lake Michigan. The planes only circle one of the water bodies so a bridge/tunnel or using Canadian land isn't needed. You have to drive across Michigan yourself.

Would it be more feasible to put some freezing machines and create ice bridge over the lake?

[kkt]

These planes would be nuclear powered and thus literally not need refueling for several years.

Nuclear powered planes, what could go wrong?

The Air Force considered a project like that back in the early 1960s.  Besides obvious danger in case of accident, nuclear reactors produce heat or electricity fairly efficiently but that doesn't translate well into force pushing an airplane forward at high speeds.  Then there was the cost, which was so high even the Air Force couldn't afford to carry the project forward to a prototype.

Hovercraft are still a better bet for high speeds over water.

I wonder if MMM is aware that interstate standards do not allow ferries to carry interstate routes at all, not even hovercraft, let alone airplanes?

[kalvado]

These planes would be nuclear powered and thus literally not need refueling for several years.

Nuclear powered planes, what could go wrong?

The Air Force considered a project like that back in the early 1960s.  Besides obvious danger in case of accident, nuclear reactors produce heat or electricity fairly efficiently but that doesn't translate well into force pushing an airplane forward at high speeds.  Then there was the cost, which was so high even the Air Force couldn't afford to carry the project forward to a prototype.

Hovercraft are still a better bet for high speeds over water.

I wonder if MMM is aware that interstate standards do not allow ferries to carry interstate routes at all, not even hovercraft, let alone airplanes?

Back then, nuclear power was seen as a universal future. There is an episode in Richard Feynman memoir highlighting that.

[kphoger]

Yeah, but if the alternative was to leave a huge gap in I-90 like that, they'd probably revise the standard requirements.

The alternative is to leave the system exactly the way it is.  And I seem to remember having read that that's currently the preferred alternative.

[kkt]

These planes would be nuclear powered and thus literally not need refueling for several years.

Nuclear powered planes, what could go wrong?

The Air Force considered a project like that back in the early 1960s.  Besides obvious danger in case of accident, nuclear reactors produce heat or electricity fairly efficiently but that doesn't translate well into force pushing an airplane forward at high speeds.  Then there was the cost, which was so high even the Air Force couldn't afford to carry the project forward to a prototype.

Hovercraft are still a better bet for high speeds over water.

I wonder if MMM is aware that interstate standards do not allow ferries to carry interstate routes at all, not even hovercraft, let alone airplanes?

Yeah, but if the alternative was to leave a huge gap in I-90 like that, they'd probably revise the standard requirements.

A duplexed route is NOT a gap in either route.  And it's been like that for 60 years or so and doesn't seem to be upsetting anyone but you.

[kphoger]

It's not a gap in I-80, but it's a gap in I-90.

It is a gap in neither one.

[kkt]

It's not a gap in I-80, but it's a gap in I-90.

It's not a gap in either one.  You can follow the signs for either route the whole way.  For there to be a gap in route, there would have to be a gap in signage.

[Max Rockatansky]

Someone point out the gaps por favor:

https://flic.kr/p/XvqEJG

[kkt]

Mind the gap!