On Fri, 27 Feb 2015 22:02:08 -0800, mmartin46 wrote:

I've been flying airplanes professionally for close to forty years and
sailplanes for fun. I spend a lot of time looking at the wing trying to
understand how it works. In the end, I conclude it's all magic. I
kinda like that.

I've never forgotten one cloudy day with a low overcast. I was in a car,
driving away from Heathrow toward Chobham Common, which put us directly
under the approach to Heathrow, when a 747 dropped out of the overcast on
finals. For a few seconds it was heading for us, grabbing the bottom of
the cloud and flinging it at the ground: it was like watching a waterfall
beneath its wing.

That sight made me realise two things: that a 747 really does weigh a
couple hundred tons and that the reaction from deflecting that huge mass
of air downward has more than a little to do with keeping it in the air.


--
martin@ | Martin Gregorie
gregorie. | Essex, UK
org |