2007-10-25 20:35:09 · 9 answers · asked by madhu 1 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Aircraft
Yes, there are (at least) a couple of ways. First is that a very light airplane with a low minimum (stall) speed can fly into a wind that is greater than its minimum speed. The airplane is stationary over the ground and appears to be stopped, but the wind is still flowing over the wings and creating lift. It’s like a motor boat going upstream at the same speed as the river current. It will be motionless at the bank, but the motor is still pushing through the water.
The second and less obvious can be done in a high-powered aerobatic airplane. Some air show pilots demonstrate this maneuver at air shows. Pull the airplane (like a modified Pitts Special) into a very high ‘nose-up’ attitude and there is enough thrust available from the engine for the airplane to ‘stop’. It is quite impressive to see when it is done at a very low altitude.
2007-10-26 06:52:19 · answer #1 · answered by pitts_pilot 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Yes it can stay in a hover without moving forward or back. If the head wind is strong enough to sustain your aircraft above your stalling speed, you can hold it into the wind and come back on the power and hold it steady without moving forward. Should the wind strength increase, all you have to do is to open the power just enough to keep it from going back. And if the wind speed reduces, you just add a touch of power to keep it above the stall. This can be done in the smaller aircraft and not the big commercial liners.
2007-10-26 04:26:33 · answer #2 · answered by al_sheda 4 · 4⤊ 0⤋
The lift force is normally balanced (or matched) by the weight force. If you take away the lift force, you will still have weight. The only way the to maintain the state of flight you describe is to add thrust with a resultant force which is parallel and opposite to the weight force!!!
Few specialised aircraft can only do that.
2007-10-27 18:19:45 · answer #3 · answered by graVT NME 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes .
It was demonstrated to me on an introductory flight.
The instructor headed into the wind & adjusted the throttle so that there was no forward motion relative to the ground (0 groundspeed).
The airspeed was something like 80 knots. if I recall correctly.
Altimeter remained constant while he was doing it.
He then banked the plane & went into a shallow dive without adding power & the plane picked up speed (over the ground)
Very cool demonstration.
2007-10-29 10:55:44 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Only if there is a head wind faster than the aircraft's stall speed. And since most planes fly quite fast, this doesn't happen very often.
However I once watched a seagull fly backwards in a strong wind.
2007-10-27 15:00:56 · answer #5 · answered by rohak1212 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Only with a really strong headwind. An airplane has to maintain airspeed to fly, but with a headwind faster than it's stall speed, can maintain a position over the ground.
2007-10-26 18:19:12 · answer #6 · answered by lowflyer1 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not sure about staying exactly still but look up a F22 on youtube and you can see it pitch it's nose up and then just hover there. The Su-27/30 planes from Russia can do the same thing. Not sure if that's what you are looking for though.
2007-10-26 05:47:46 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Absolutely.
Well, obviously it's impossible for any object to remain perfectly still, even at absolute zero, but most VTOL planes can remain still by radar standards.
The Harriers do it all the time.
2007-10-26 03:45:58 · answer #8 · answered by Ben 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
no. they have to remain in motion or they'll crash. the only thing that keeps them aloft is the air currents flowing above and below their wings at different speeds. if that were to stop, then the plane would not be able to fight gravity any longer.
2007-10-26 03:43:25 · answer #9 · answered by west_xylaphone 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋