| > A 65% cost reduction via tripling the payload would require that costs not increase, no? I think it's a cost reduction vs. shipping that 2x (or 3x) cargo using 2 (or 3) conventional planes, not somehow making it cheaper than a single plane with its normal amount of cargo (or a magic plane with 2x the capacity). > Are these huge cargo gliders free to purchase/operate/maintain? No, but they're presumably cheaper in those metrics than running a conventional plane. If it costs $50k to run a single conventional plane, but you can tack on one of these towed gliders and it only costs $15k more, that's cheaper than running 2 conventional planes at $100k. > And hauling them around puts zero additional load on the engines of the air freighter that's towing them, to increase maintenance or fuel costs? Certainly this will add a cost, but if the towed glider has essentially zero fuel cost, presumably you still come out ahead. And presumably the glider will have lower maintenance costs, since it lacks engines and presumably other stuff a powered, crewed conventional cargo plane would need. Totally agree with you on the skepticism around safety and reliability, though. |