Louis Ingenthron @LouisIngenthron@social.cleverlibre.org

@interfluidity I'm like 99% sure that exists somewhere on a floppy disk for Windows 3.1.

@peterdrake What's the point of these anymore in a world with nonperishable canned ravioli?

@2ck It is especially strange to see the stark shadow lines, where bright white and deep black crisply meet without the ambient light of atmospheric scattering.

@freemo I don't know what definition they're using, but where you want to look is here: https://vfrmap.com/

It's a map of airspace, cobbled together from the maps regularly published by the FAA. You'll see a magenta line labeled "CONTIGUOUS U.S. ADIZ". That's the one that matters.

My best guess is that IFR (instrument-based) flights that file a domestic flight plan and remain tracked the entire way through can skip going through customs but VFR (visual-flight) are not tracked the whole way and would thus be subject to customs.

@freemo But it must be possible, because I see two United flights doing it right now.

@freemo I'm not sure if they get a waiver or what. My understanding was that it was required for any aircraft that enters the ADIZ.

But if you look at a live flight tracking map, you'll notice that not many take that route anyway. They seem to go up and around and stay over land. There are a number of benefits to doing so (better weather tracking, better places to land in an emergency, better visual references if needed, etc.).

@freemo It is essentially unregulated, but there are international conventions pilots follow to prevent accidents and such.

The real bitch of it is, though, that if you go even a little bit out over international waters, then when you get back, you're required to go through customs.

@freemo Correct. And there's an airspace for that too 😃

@freemo Yeah, that's because Ultralights are also allowed in class E airspace (typically from 1,200 ft AGL to 10,000 ft MSL) too, so long as they don't get too close to a controlled airport or overfly congested/populated areas. And class E usually does require a license for most other craft. So that's a little more expansive than just uncontrolled class G.

Another fun fact: Above 60,000 ft MSL is *also* uncontrolled class G, which is why space capsules don't have to check in with air traffic control on each orbit.

@freemo IIRC, you can literally fly unlicensed experimental craft in class G, so long as you're not over a congested or populated area.

@freemo Well, yeah, you can pretty much do whatever the hell you want, licensed or not, as long as you stay in uncontrolled class G airspace (usually under 1200 feet AGL)

@freemo Like I thought. From the FAA:
"No person may operate an ultralight vehicle within Class A, Class B, Class C, or Class D airspace or within the lateral boundaries of the surface area of Class E airspace designated for an airport unless that person has prior authorization from the ATC facility having jurisdiction over that airspace."

And also:
"No person may operate an ultralight vehicle over any congested area of a city, town, or settlement, or over any open air assembly of persons."

Plus they have a fuel limit of 5 gallons, so those are basically toy planes anyway.

@freemo Pretty sure that doesn't exist, unless you plan to remain only in class G airspace. I'm pretty sure you need to have *some kind* of license to act as pilot-in-command of any powered vehicle in controlled airspace.

@sim @freemo
> "We are encouraged to polarise ourselves"

Yeah, but that encouragement comes, not from social media, but from thousands of years of evolution teaching our lizard brains that we're safest and most likely to reproduce if we stick to our tribe.

It's one of those problems that people keep trying to fix with technology, but that technology cannot fix. The only way to fix it is to exercise self-awareness and restraint, which are skills few possess.

@sim @freemo You can't stop people from using heavy wrenches to hammer in nails 🤷‍♂️

@sim @freemo Yes. I am closed off to anyone who decides to argue in bad faith. That's intentional and desirable.

Being able to hide their dipshit replies without outright blocking them would, in my mind, encourage better discourse, because they could try again.