The universe according to MMM

[MultiMillionMiler]

The helicopters would be capable of 300 mph so they can get to the truck in time before it crashes. The nearest heliport could be 10 miles away. In very risky areas however, these choppers would be patrolling in the air already so they are much closer when needed. Runaway truck ramps aren't built to interstate standards, nor are they designated as such, so not much of a solution.

[kphoger]

This button would be multi-purpose, also alerting the traffic news station about the runaway truck so they could notify drivers to get their cars off the highway as soon as possible just in case the helicopters failed.

How could there be any possiblity of failure of such a beautifully conceived plan as this?  I haven't seen such a perfect plan since the invasion of Afghanistan!

And also, how would the traffic news stations notify every driver?  What about people who aren't listening to the radio.  Or, you know, don't even have a working radio to begin with?

The helicopters would be capable of 300 mph so they can get to the truck in time before it crashes. The nearest heliport could be 10 miles away. In very risky areas however, these choppers would be patrolling in the air already so they are much closer when needed. Runaway truck ramps aren't built to interstate standards, nor are they designated as such, so not much of a solution.

Yeah, I'm sure Americans would be all for helicopters constantly monitoring their every movement while driving.

[triplemultiplex]

It keeps getting funnier!  Somehow.
This is like having a 9 year old explain to you how he is playing with his toys.  It's almost charming.
"And then the helicopter shoots down a magnet and picks up the truck..."

Very cartoony. One could almost imagine this is a conversation with a child, if you can ignore all the "self love" discussion.

[adventurernumber1]

As my first post in this thread, I just have to say, I cannot imagine how insanely expensive it would actually be to implement something like this -- not to mention the logistical impossibility as well as lack of resources.

Just some questions for MMM to ponder:
* How expensive would it be for the fuel that all these helicopters will constantly require, by incessantly flying around or even just hovering above these areas?
* How much are these people getting paid, and how many of these people are there going to be in total, as needed for such a colossal undertaking?
* What happens if a helicopter fails to successfully salvage a driver and their truck, and what would likely be the actual rate of success of this operation?
* This isn't a question, but I just can't stop laughing at the thought of driving on I-70 through the Rockies and seeing dozens of helicopters flying or hovering overhead constantly. Maybe the person in the convenience store did take 10,000 years after all, what a different world we would live in.   

[kphoger]

As my first post in this thread, I just have to say, I cannot imagine how insanely expensive it would actually be to implement something like this -- not to mention the logistical impossibility as well as lack of resources.

Just some questions for MMM to ponder:
* How expensive would it be for the fuel that all these helicopters will constantly require, by incessantly flying around or even just hovering above these areas?
* How much are these people getting paid, and how many of these people are there going to be in total, as needed for such a colossal undertaking?
* What happens if a helicopter fails to successfully salvage a driver and their truck, and what would likely be the actual rate of success of this operation?
* This isn't a question, but I just can't stop laughing at the thought of driving on I-70 through the Rockies and seeing dozens of helicopters flying or hovering overhead constantly. Maybe the person in the convenience store did take 10,000 years after all, what a different world we would live in.   

And there are only 4000 runaway trucks per year in the whole country–less than 1% of all truck crashes.  About three-fourths of those runaway trucks are able to safely use an existing runaway truck ramp.  If we assume that the same three-fourths success rate applies to Colorado specifically, and considering that runaway truck ramps in Colorado are only used approximately fifteen to twenty times per year, then we come up with a ballpark number of 25 runaway trucks in Colorado per year.  And if we assume that the majority but not all of those runaway trucks are on I-70, then let's just call it 20 runaway trucks on I-70 through the Rockies per year.

Anyone want to estimate the success rate for MultiDozenMiler's helicopter plan?

[Max Rockatansky]

What about deploying a Micro Black Hole/White Hole system for the helicopters to instantly travel to the accident scene?  Just warp the Space Time around the helicopter so it doesn't get crushed by the singularity and you're golden.

[MultiMillionMiler]

Guys, I am serious with this plan. It is totally worth it to avoid tragedies like that one that killed 4 people in Colorado. Even if the helicopters weren't hovering, they would be positioned near the road ready to go. They would be military grade however, to ensure they would be strong enough to lift a triple-rig tractor trailer off the road. Reminders could even be put on the sides of the helicopter saying things like "Give us a Brake, use the runaway ramps". This could be a specific branch of military service, only this job, so those who apply could be incentivized with free college/other benefits.

[Max Rockatansky]

I'm serious about my Black Hole-White Hole plan too.  They totally are not a scam.

[Scott5114]

I want a thread where MMM and Poiponen argue with each other by just baldly asserting their plans will work better back and forth.

[kphoger]

Guys, I am serious with this plan. It is totally worth it to avoid tragedies like that one that killed 4 people in Colorado.

And this is why nobody ever asks you if something is worth it.

[Max Rockatansky]

I want a thread where MMM and Poiponen argue with each other by just baldly asserting their plans will work better back and forth.

This is the thread we deserve, but not the thread we need right now.

[kphoger]

I want a thread where MMM and Poiponen argue with each other by just baldly asserting their plans will work better back and forth.

This is the thread we deserve, but not the thread we need right now.

Guys, I am serious with this plan.  I think this is needed.

[kphoger]

But the $Trillion for the military is?? I think they can spare a few bucks for this. So the military budget will only be $990 Billion instead.

You really just suggested spending 1% of the nation's military budget on preventing something whose annual incidence can be counted on my hands.

[MultiMillionMiler]

Yes because in reality 10% of it should be going toward more useful things. So 1% is more than reasonable, and that's pretending it would even cost $10 Billion just to retrofit a few helicopters with a grappling EM cable and the fuel to occasionally fly around.

[roadman65]

Yes because in reality 10% of it should be going toward more useful things. So 1% is more than reasonable, and that's pretending it would even cost $10 Billion just to retrofit a few helicopters with a grappling EM cable and the fuel to occasionally fly around.

You're still on the stupid graphing cable. Enough is enough.

[Max Rockatansky]

Yes because in reality 10% of it should be going toward more useful things. So 1% is more than reasonable, and that's pretending it would even cost $10 Billion just to retrofit a few helicopters with a grappling EM cable and the fuel to occasionally fly around.

It would cost way more than $10 Billion to develop grapple hook technology for reliable use on a helicopter that travels that the theoretical speeds you want.  If it was possible and practical it probably would have been built already under military funding.

[Max Rockatansky]

Yes because in reality 10% of it should be going toward more useful things. So 1% is more than reasonable, and that's pretending it would even cost $10 Billion just to retrofit a few helicopters with a grappling EM cable and the fuel to occasionally fly around.

You're still on the stupid graphing cable. Enough is enough.

This is one of my most serious plans on this forum so far (with I-80 eastward extension being top priority). This is an aviation thread and this definitely involves aviation.

[MultiMillionMiler]

Yes because in reality 10% of it should be going toward more useful things. So 1% is more than reasonable, and that's pretending it would even cost $10 Billion just to retrofit a few helicopters with a grappling EM cable and the fuel to occasionally fly around.

It would cost way more than $10 Billion to develop grapple hook technology for reliable use on a helicopter that travels that the theoretical speeds you want.  If it was possible and practical it probably would have been built already under military funding.

It would only be capable of going 300 mph without hauling a truck. Once it grips the truck, it can go 20 for all I care after that, once it lifts it off the road, mission accomplished.

[kphoger]

You're still on the stupid graphing cable. Enough is enough.

Again:  you're the only who has ever advocated the use of graphing hooks/cables.  MultiMillionMiler has never suggested implementing them.

[kphoger]

You really just suggested spending 1% of the nation's military budget on preventing something whose annual incidence can be counted on my hands.

Yes because in reality 10% of it should be going toward more useful things. So 1% is more than reasonable ...

Even if 10% of our nation's defense budget should go toward other things, and I'm not here to debate whether it should or not, that doesn't mean a project that would save maybe fifteen lives per year (and even that's assuming a 100% success rate) would be the most "useful" redirect of those funds.

[kphoger]

But those are grappling hooks.

[Max Rockatansky]

What would the G-Force load on the driver be after instantaneously stopping from say 70 MPH due to the grapple hooks digging into the ground and stopping a runaway truck instantly?

[Max Rockatansky]

What would the G-Force load on the driver be after instantaneously stopping from say 70 MPH due to the grapple hooks digging into the ground and stopping a runaway truck instantly?

It would be enough drag to rapidly slow the truck to a stop, not instantly. A 1 G deceleration would be about 22 mph PER second. Even a 2 G deceleration (about 43 mph per second) wouldn't be a big deal as it would only be experienced for a couple seconds. But again, that wasn't the option I was that interested in to start with.

What are these under carriage grapple hooks made of that they can stretch and be durable enough to allow a truck to slowly enough not to kill the driver or snap?

[kkt]

What they need is tow trucks that can rapidly clear out a truck that has used a runaway truck ramp, so that the ramp is available for the next runaway truck.

[dlsterner]

Given that the electromagnets need to be quite strong to pick up an 18 wheeler ... How are you going to keep the electromagnets from also picking up cars and motorcycles in adjacent lanes as well?

(Just had a mental picture of a whole bunch of cars sucked into the air by the magnet, along with the truck)

And what if the body of the truck's trailer is made of non-magnetic material?  (Disclaimer - I have no idea what they are typically made of)