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This is what happens when a 230-ton Airbus A330 has the right angle of attack, the right low speed and the right amount of head wind: it gets suspended in the middle of the sky for a few seconds. It feels like it’s flying in slow motion, then it freezes for a couple of seconds and keeps moving in slow motion.
The phenomenon has an easy explanation: the Airbus is making a very slow low pass, taking advantage of the very strong head wind combined with the minimun air speed and a high angle of attack to achieve lift for its flaps configuration (which is hard to see from the ground). This results in an extremely low ground speed, which results from the A330′s air speed used minus the speed of the head wind. The combination of this ground speed and the A330′s size give the viewer the sensation of a plane almost frozen in midair.
In other words: MAGIC!
Strange how a plane looks alien simply because it’s floating…
Or am I the only one that thinks it looks like an alien craft?
Agh I’ve been staring at airflows around aerofoils solidly for the last week, finally finish and whats the first thing I see when I get home?! They’re following me!
If that headwind stopped suddenly, that plane would drop straight to the ground, right?
I think it would actually shoot forward, as the engines are pushing it forwards, but the headwind is pushing it backwards. Then again, I may be wrong.
This is correct – whether the airflow past the wings comes from wind or forward movement through still air doesn’t matter, it’ll still create lift. By staying still, the engines are pumping enough thrust to overcome the effect of the wind. If the wind stopped and the thrust stayed the same, then the aircraft would move forward & would not drop to the ground.
hmmm, it depends, if the headwind was strong enough, that its removal meant the relative airflow over the wing was less than that of stall speed(or a point where lift generated was less than aircraft weight) , then it would, drop, just like hitting turbulence.
Actually. It depends entirely on how sudden or gradual the wind stopped. Instant, then no, it would drop. Well, not quite drop, but stall. A stall is caused when the Angle of attack exceeds that of the airofoils critical AoA. Remember, lift is caused by airflow over that wing surface. This is proportianal not to the ground speed but the TAS(True air speed). The TAS component is calculated by factoring in headwind and GS(ground speed). Temperature and air density factor in to it as well, but we wont get into that. If Vref(approach speed) exceeds Vs(Stall speed) limit, then the plane will not be happy about maintaing flight
However, if it were more gradual, where the thrust component(engines) compensated for the loss of wind(partial drag component) it would carry on flying, also reducing AoA.
I’m sure there are aerodynamicists reading this, and will correct me. But that is how my old pilot brain puts it together.
just as it lands, is that a Concorde in the background?
I’m not aviation expert but I think you’re right there! However, by the look of the plane parked on the grass in the foreground I’d say this isn’t a standard airport and is probably a museum or holding facility for aircraft. Nice spot!
The devil be at work I tells yee!!!
Can only say it must be photoshopped. At MAUW, Max All Up Weight the V2, initial climb out speed, would be around 150-160 kts. To achieve the illusion they are talking about without stalling the wind speed would have to be around 100kts+. So then the air over the wing is 150kts and the ground speed only 50kts. If that was the case they wouldn’t be standing there with umbrellas.
Max wind speed any airline operates in is usually 55 knots. Can not load and unload the a/c as can’t operate the big cargo doors above 55 kts.
A hurricane becomes a hurricane when wind speeds reach 63 kts. So this ‘expert’ is suggesting this aircraft is taking off in winds well in excess of hurricane force! By the looks of it, it is probably about 25-35 kts, anymore and their umbellas would be inside out.