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:

General aviation enthusiasts express dissatisfaction with the Air Transport Association (ATA) and its members (e.g., Delta) for attributing commercial flight delays to general aviation.
A recent AVweb poll found that over half of its readers actively avoid flying commercially on ATA member airlines due to the association's pro-user-fee stances.
NASA's first Personal Air Vehicle Challenge concluded, awarding $250,000, despite the entered aircraft lacking groundbreaking technology and not paving the way for a mass-market personal air vehicle.
A new poll is asking readers whether they believe the $250,000 spent on NASA's Personal Air Vehicle Challenge was a worthwhile investment.

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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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