FYI: Dec 12 MythBusters: Airplane Hour

In article ,
"Morgans" wrote:

"Some Other Guy" wrote

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.

Partially so. IF you could do a 180 degree turn super fast, like .1
second, you would stall.

Nope. Wrong.


At least for the amount of time it takes the airplane to accelerate, the
wind would be making you go too slow.

The turn has to include the acceleration.


Of course, no plane can make a 180 degree turn that fast, so we are all safe
from the dreaded downwind turn. g

I think one thing that people don't realize is that while a car can make an
instant turn, an airplane can not.

Well, all but Shawn Tucker's plane. I think he could make the turn in less
time than .1 second, from the crazy crap I have seen him do!

--
Alan Baker
Vancouver, British Columbia
"If you raise the ceiling four feet, move the fireplace from that wall
to that wall, you'll still only get the full stereophonic effect if you
sit in the bottom of that cupboard."