I'm posting this question because although I've seen this happening nobody believes me!!! A young pilot was even laughing while I mentioned this issue....
2007-02-14 19:47:19 · 12 answers · asked by philysstar 2 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Aircraft
Of course they can. This system is used all the time. It's called Supplemental Helium Integrated Traffic System, or S.H.I.T.S.
The aircraft deploys hundreds of helium balloons to stay aloft in integrated patterns just outside the airport's aerodrome. When normal traffic is too heavy to be accommodated due to weather conditions or the like, pilots are directed to use the S.H.I.T.S. and
remain in place until further instructed.
2007-02-15 00:05:59 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Sir: Commercial airplanes need to fly at a speed of about 130 miles per hour (the exact number is specific to the particular plane) to maintain sufficient left over the airfoil surfaces of the wing and wing roots to keep the aircraft aloft. If you have seen commercial aircraft apparently hovering in mid air, I suspect that the sight was an illusion based upon your angle of viewing the aircraft. When an aircraft is flying very slowly and coming right at you, or going directly away from you, it is hard to detect motion in a brief glance. This inability to etect motion is increased by zero changes in altitude, and increased distance from the viewing point. The only commercial aircraft I am aware of that can actually "hover" in place are certain commuter helicopters that shuttle passengers from one place to another on short hops. A helicopter can hover in one spot for long periods of time if need be due to the fact that the lift required is generated by air flow over the rotor blades not over actual aircraft wings. The wings need movement through the air to develop lift.
2016-05-24 02:10:51 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not a commercial airplane, the only way an airplane can "stand still" in the the air is if there is a sufficient headwind that can reduce the groundspeed to zero. The stall speeds on those large transport catagory aircraft is to great to get those types of wind speeds at least at the surface.
2007-02-15 04:57:04 · answer #3 · answered by Josh 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I don't know what type of commercial aircraft you're talking about but if your question is regarding to a regular turbine powered, fixed wing comercial jet e.g B737,A320,DC-10 etc..when air traffic control is too busy clearing other aircraft to land in Instrument conditions there is a procedure called holding patterns at which the aircraft circles within a spot assigned by ATC and waits until is cleared for the approach to land, unless you're marijuano then you probably gonna see them stand still.
2007-02-14 20:11:32 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Wouldnt life be easy for the ATC if this were possible?
The answer is NO.
A plausible explanation of this phenomenon would be optical illusion due to relative velocity between you and airplane. If you are moving in a vehicle at certain angles (w.r.t the airplane in question) and speeds the airplane might look like that it is standing still. But this occurs for a very short duration.
2007-02-14 19:59:21 · answer #5 · answered by ? 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
nope - commercial airliners must maintain an airspeed of 140-150mph to stay airborne - staying still they have all the flying characteristics of a brick
that is why wind shear is so devious - when the wind changes directions 180 degrees - - as the plane is landing into the wind
say - 20 mph the REAL groundspeed is 130 (150-20)
Wind Shear changes and deducts from groundspeed so instead
of 130 - you are now at 110 - and falling out of the sky
now a smaller private plane - I have stood a Cessna 150 on its prop
into a 20 mph headwind and it appeared we were going nowhere
2007-02-14 19:55:34 · answer #6 · answered by tom4bucs 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
No they can't. What you are seeing is an aircraft appearing to be stopped but in reality it is moving at normal airspeed. When you have no reference to compare with such as a car has when moving down a hwy. then your brain cannot compute a speed. The larger the acft. the more pronounced the illusion is.
2007-02-15 00:58:22 · answer #7 · answered by txpilot 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
no way. only helicopters and VTOL (vertical takeoff and landing) aircraft can do that and there are no VTOL commercial aircraft yet. sometimes if you are in a moving vehicle observing a commercial plane, the airplane may seem to be standing still.
2007-02-14 20:18:12 · answer #8 · answered by HPL 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
No, if an airport is crowded and an airplane has to wait to land, it goes into a holding pattern.
2007-02-15 06:34:14 · answer #9 · answered by Stevie D 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Hmmm. . . . do they use VTOLs (vertical take off/landing) commercially? If so, the answer would be yes!
2007-02-14 20:04:31 · answer #10 · answered by STEVE 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋