In article ,
"Maxwell" wrote:

"Some Other Guy" wrote in message
...
" Vacant lot wrote:
I don't understand the premise of the conveyor belt thing. If you are
talking about thrusting an aircraft forward, like a catapult, you already
know the answer, and if the belt is running so the the wheels of the
aircraft are spinning madly while it stays still then again you already
know the answer. What are they trying to prove? I've seen the show but I
watch very little tv, have they run out of urban myths?

A friend of mine was absolutely convinced that if you are flying into a
strong headwind close to stall speed and make a U-turn, you will stall
(because now the wind is coming "from behind").

The basics of flight just isn't obvious to some people.


Ah, but if you are flying near stall with the wind, and the wind suddenly
slows, will you stall?

Yes -- Your momentum needs to catch up with your new (reduced) airspeed.

.OR.
If you are slow on approach, into a gusty head wind, and a gust suddenly
resides, will you stall?

It depends on how much margin you have between stall and airspeed to
begin with. If the margin is less than the (now non-existent) gust, you
will stall. Otherwise, you will see a sudden increase in sink rate.