Dana: I agree with what you have said. Basically, it depends on the mission ... and that changes with where you live in the country. For us in Kansas, a hybrid car makes little sense. We are rarely in heavy traffic (stopped on an interstate in gridlock), and our trips are typically longer than 40 miles. On the other hand on the east coast, an air vehicle to go between the downtowns of NYC, Boston, DC, Arlington, etc would be a huge time-saver. And, as the saying goes, "Time is money". Air vehicles sell because they save time and/or expand geometric coverage. Speed (or time) is the #1 comparison. One can't buy time; we can only reallocate what we do with what we are given.

I am so glad you said what you did about hybrid airplanes not making sense. They don't. Airplane engines run at full power the vast majority of time (even piston singles' 75% power at altitude is full power). That condition is the most efficient that an engine can run. Boost for takeoff does make sense in some cases as this thread has pointed out earlier.

Here's one to ponder. If cars in major metropolitan areas really moved, would texting be so much of a problem?