AndyH
Well-known member
planet4ever said:Gee, Brendon, what Nubo said sounded right to me. I don't know much about wing aerodynamics, but I had the impression a plane would be in danger of crashing if there wasn't a net airflow from front to rear. In fact if your ground speed is 100 MPH and there is a 90 degree crosswind of 50 MPH, wouldn't you be flying only 30 degrees off from directly into the effective wind? I'd call that "more or less directly into the relative wind."
An airplane has to have airflow over the wing relative to the air it's in. Thrust from the engine(s) (or putting the nose down) makes that happen. It has nothing to do with ground speed. I've hovered an older Cessna 172 over Srn Illinois by pointing the nose into a 40mph wind, dropping 40° of flaps, and adjusting power. One can take-off or land with zero ground roll if the wind is right.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9SRAzxVBnE[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPSElw8qEsI[/youtube]