This; http://machinedesign.com/article/throw-out-the-textbooks-diesel-airplanes-are-here-0619 is a production airplane already getting 133 passenger miles per gallon per the contest conditions. its a 4 seater in current configuration but has a 950 lb load rating with full fuel. so if we assume 170 lbs per passenger 6 passengers would put you 70 lbs over max. lose 10 gallons of fuel and your back to overall weight. this would give you 200 passenger MPG of course two would have to ride in the luggage bay but you would still be within the planes limits. feel free to correct me if my math is off but if not and you decide to go do it and win, well 10 grand as a finders fee would be nice!!!

It seems that everyone has lost sight of something simple, obligation! we as consumers arent obligated to the recording industry or any other company. they exist because of us, not the other way around. simply put why should it matter to us or the government if they fail or revenue drops? is someone getting paid off here? if so find them and prosecute. otherwise let the free enterprise system work the way its supposed to. I was involved in a wireless business that got strangled by the government using all of the 5.8 spectrum to run their 'live' road signs and cameras. up until then i had a handshake agreement with my competitors and everyone was happy. so now i'm out of a company and work! do i have recourse? no, public airwaves were in use. point is someone came along using things as they were designed and i lost out, one supposes that maybe a switch to optical links for backhaul would have worked, but it would have been my nickel to do it, and hope it works. and assume my customers stay with me through the change should be the same with them adapt to the 'public will' (the internet grew a life of its own and it was with the publics money and demand) or die off like any other business would. The industry has no right to survive, just an obligation to provide something 'we' like to ensure their survival, exactly the same as my customers, i couldn't give them what they wanted so they moved on. boofreakinhoo!!!