Poll: What types of surfaces should we plan to operate from?

The question here is, do we want to operate in mainstream areas or less mainstream areas. In my opinion, the best single option is water because you would have access to the majority of civilivzation and many remote areas in a single package.

With only airstrip operation, you can only access places with airstrips. Which is obvious, I know.

Short or vertical takeoff is the single option with the most cost. And I don't see vertical operation as worthwhile.

We could operate off of all surfaces but that will be the most expensive option. 

Thoughts?

1. Why is post #2 hidden?
2. Being able to operate vertically increases the safety factor since the number of places you can land and takeoff from is bigger.
3. Water ops is a plus. I wonder if boating rules apply.
4. The wonderful people that run the ATC towers definitely would weigh in on getting anywhere near a mainstream area. This depends on if your craft is an ultralight, sports aircraft, or certified. If it's covered with aluminized HDPE the return radar signature would probably scare their pants off!

I guess it was deleted by the author or a moderator. I can see it, It doesn't really say anything. Unfortunately, polls are still down from the Lefora upgrade months ago. I will be happy when we get polls back. 

I would like to operate from water. Might be better to keep it simple for the first prototype though. If we go ultralight for the prototype, I don't think you can fly over densely populated areas. 

If we designed to operate off a lake, it would provide a ready source to "refuel" ballast, particularly for testing a prototype.  If the prototype were tested in a tethered mode, circling, it could lower a bucket or tube to draw up water ballast as needed.

Also of note is that a tethered circulear testing regime could include a hollow, tubular tether, allowing the prototype to "vent" or "add" lift gas from a central reservoir.  Such a reservoir could either be in the form of a tank on the ground, or a balloon on the ground, or a balloon in the air above the prototype.

Such a regime seems like an excellent way to work out the kinks (no pun intended) in a bouyancy modulation craft, without having to waste a lot of lift gas (Helium is expensive), and without having to come up with onboard compression (or other means of conserving lift gas) right away.

If you lose enough lift gas to get down to a lake, taking on ballast is the last thing that will help you. The problem with resupply tethers is they are going to be heavy enough to affect evaluation performance.