Can Commercial Airplanes hover?

Answer 1

Given the near-hypothetical situation of a jet flying directly into the strongest part of the jet stream, at near stall speed (around 150 knots), then yes, the plane could stay motionless with respect to the ground. However, no one in their right mind would try it, since any change in wind speed or direction could send the plane into a stall or spin.

I've done it in my Cessna 172 in a strong headwind, but for a jet airplane? Not in practice.

Edit: Sorry, jetdoc, but it's impossible for any heavier-than-air craft, even a helicopter, to have 0 airspeed, so that's not part of the definition of a hover. Even gliding, a fixed wing airplane has airspeed, as does a helicopter when auto-gyrating. Hover is measured in relation to the ground; airpspeed has nothing to do with it.

Answer 2

airplanes fly, by and large, the same way. Sure there are some exceptions but for simplicity sake lets just leave those out. They fly by having wings, and by moving those wings through the air very fast. Due to the shape of the wing the airflow over the wing is a little bit faster than the flow under the wing. According to Bernounlli's principle, a fluid ( gas included ) moving has less pressure than a fluid not moving. the faster it moves the less pressure it exerts. So what you end up with is a vaccuum over the wings that sucks them upwards. If the wings do not have enough airflow over them, they produce no lift and the plane will not fly. So there is no way for a plane to hover unless you could somehow blow air over the wings at 150mph or so. the exceptions: Some jets can take off and hover, but they do this not by creating lift, but through what is basically brute force. They can aim thier jet engines downward and through sheer thrust, push the airplane up into the air. The Harrier is one such jet that can do this.

Answer 3

A "hover" is generally considered to be an aircraft holding zero airspeed and zero ground-speed over a fixed vertical and horizontal position on the ground. Commercial helicopters can hover, but not fixed wing aircraft.

In the scenario that some have presented, it might be possible for an aircraft to be flying at a certain airspeed directly into a headwind of the same speed, and appear to stand in one place, but that is not a true "hover" as the aircraft does not have zero airspeed.

Answer 4

No commercial aircraft can hover. Neither can the F/A 22 Raptor but the latest generation US & British fighter in development, the F-35 (Joint Strike Fighter) has VSTOL capablility.

As does the Harrier and the Osprey.

Answer 5

No, the only fixed wing aircraft in common usage that are VTOL capable are the Hawker Harrier Jump Jet and the new F-22 Raptor joint defense strike fighter... both of which are used exclusively by the military. I'm pretty sure.

Answer 6

the force keeping a commercial airliner in the air is provided by the lift of the wing. see the way a wing works is this. the top is kinda arched and the bottom flat when air moves across the top it takes longer than the bottom and causes lift...plainey put. so you see the only way to get lift is by thrust or movement.

Answer 7

Noooooooo

Answer 8

Yes

Answer 9

No. And the f-22 raptor can't either. The only "fixed-wing" aircraft that can "hover are these:
http://www.strange-mecha.com/aircraft/VTOL/VTOL.htm
Or you can look at this wikipedia listing:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_VTOL_aircraft

Answer 10

Yes, If the headwind matches exactly the airspeed of the aircraft.