Question of the Week: Was NASA's Personal Air Vehicle Challenge a Good Use of Funds?

Question of the Week: Was NASA’s Personal Air Vehicle Challenge a Good Use of Funds?

Editorial Staff

Thursday, August 16, 2007 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

A previous poll indicated that over half of *AVweb* readers avoid flying commercially with Air Transport Association (ATA) member airlines due to the ATA's pro-user-fee stance and blaming of general aviation for flight delays.
NASA's first Personal Air Vehicle (PAV) Challenge concluded, awarding $250,000 in prizes, despite the winning entries consisting of modified existing aircraft without groundbreaking technology, unlikely to lead to mass-market PAVs.
Readers are being asked in a new poll whether they believe the $250,000 spent on NASA's Personal Air Vehicle Challenge was money well spent.

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This Week’s Question |Previous Week’s Answers

PREVIOUS RESULTS ***

Now that Delta Air Lines has become the latest Air Transport Association member to lay the blame for commercial flight delays at the feet of general aviation, we’ve heard quite a few complaints about the ATA from the G.A. segment of our audience.

Last week, we asked if AVweb readers are making commercial flight choices based on the ATA’s pro-user-fee stances, and found that well over half of you (based on the poll response) avoid flying commercially on ATA member airlines when possible.

For a full breakdown of options and reader responses, click here.
(You may be asked to register and answer, if you haven’t already participated in this poll.)

THIS WEEK’S QUESTION ***

NASA’s first Personal Air Vehicle Challenge concluded this past weekend, with the full $250,000 in prize money awarded in various amounts to the four contestants. The entered airplanes were modified versions of certified and experimental models, but none incorporated any truly groundbreaking technology, nor will any of them lead to a personal air vehicle for the masses. Do you think this money was well spent?

Click here to answer.

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