Howdy folks.

I’m flying fast - time to go slow.

I’m in Paonia, Colorado, helping a friend with house renovations. It’s a little Claude, a little drywall, a little tai chi.

Not bad if you ask me!

Feels great to have the website in a place where I can share it in public.

LINK

But it’s never finished.

Always a work in progress…

I’ve added to the archives: 35 datasets, with select data dating back to 2010.

With the data, I’m crafting a white paper, a more thorough summary of how I see the Aerial Economy.

I wanted to publish this week, but the rain tapping on the glass this morning tells me to take it easy.

The white paper isn’t ready.

But I do want to share a chart I stumbled upon on social: the deflationary effect technology has over time.

We love to see it.

But.

Airplanes, flying cars, heck, transportation as a category is missing from this chart.

So I asked Claude to research and generate a visual showing the falling cost of getting around. Good food for thought.

Flying started at four times the train fare. Then it fell 92%.

Flying started at four times the train fare. Then it fell 92%.Line chart, fare per passenger-mile in the United States in real 2026 dollars. Rail, US: $1.56 in 1839, $0.34 in 1970. Airlines, US: $2.25 in 1926, $0.17 in 2024. In 1926 airfare was 4.1 times the rail fare. $0.00 $0.50 $1.00 $1.50 $2.00 $2.50 Per passenger-mile, 2026 dollars 1850 1900 1950 2000 $0.34Rail, US, 1970 $0.17Airlines, US, 2024
Flying started at four times the train fare. Then it fell 92%.Line chart, fare per passenger-mile in the United States in real 2026 dollars. Rail, US: $1.56 in 1839, $0.34 in 1970. Airlines, US: $2.25 in 1926, $0.17 in 2024. In 1926 airfare was 4.1 times the rail fare. $0.00 $0.50 $1.00 $1.50 $2.00 $2.50 Per passenger-mile, 2026 dollars 1850 1900 1950 2000 $0.34Rail, US, 1970 $0.17Airlines, US, 2024
Plate I What one mile of travel cost, adjusted for inflation. Source: Fishlow (NBER, 1966); Historical Statistics of the United States; Airlines for America; Federal Aviation Administration Aerospace Forecast; BLS; Minneapolis Fed. Rail: average passenger revenue per passenger-mile, all US railroads; 1839 to 1890 Fishlow's estimates (1839 to 1859 reconstructed), 1900 to 1970 Historical Statistics (ICC), commuter travel included. Airlines: domestic revenue per passenger-mile (mainline carriers, fiscal years, from 2010). Real 2026 dollars: US consumer price index, 2026 = mean of January to September. Marble Institute of Technology.

Flying started as a luxury. Now it’s a Tuesday.

I also recently taped a podcast with Rob Petrozzo, founder of Rally Rd. I’ve known Rob for years. He played the collectibles trade early and has a great eye for design. It was fun to catch up. I’m sure he’ll be back. Click the image. Tune in!

A surprise to no one - Zipline added another 10 drones since last week. Its growth is hilarious.

Zero to 3,020.

1,0002,0003,0002024202520261,431First capture, Mar 19, 20263,020Oct 14
1,0002,0003,0002024202520261,431First capture3,020Oct 14
Plate II Zipline aircraft with a valid U.S. registration, through October 14, 2026. Dashed: before March 19, 2026, and on 55 later dates: a public third-party archive of U.S. aircraft registry files. In all 91 publications held by both it and our own capture, the main aircraft file is byte-identical. Counts through October 10, 2026. Solid: every capture since the first, on March 19, 2026. Terminal, U.S. aircraft registry. Visible aircraft only. Before March 19, 2026, and on 55 later dates: a public third-party archive of U.S. aircraft registry files. In all 91 publications held by both it and our own capture, the main aircraft file is byte-identical. Counts through October 10, 2026.

And if you can believe it - I’m in early talks with the designer of a magnetically propelled aircraft. Seriously, check it out: magnecopter.com.

The question isn’t - how does it work?

The question is - what if it does…?

https://magnecopter.com/

One more thing.

I gave Claude Code a horse race. Every job gets a lane, a number, and a color. Every lane starts in the dark. A little horse gallops toward dawn, and the sky lightens behind him with every step. When the job is done, the sun comes up.

Three jobs, three horses. You always know who’s winning.

If you want to add an animated progress indicator to your own setup, send me a message.

Small joy. Built in a morning. What a time to be alive!

Godspeed.