Airplane question of the week

[oilwell1415]

We'll do an easy one this week after a couple of weeks off.

An airplane takes off on a calm day, flies straight south for 100 miles, flies straight east for 100 miles, then flies straight north for 100 and ends up in the same place it started. How is this possible?

 

[lobra97]

he took 4 lefts?

 

[ChuckieC09]

It took off from the North Pole. BAM!

 

[5spd07gt]

is he vfr or ifr?

 

[oilwell1415]

It took off from the North Pole. BAM!

Bingo. Like I said, an easy one for this week.

 

[STR8JAKT]

It took off from the North Pole. BAM!

Well done! ( golf clap)

 

[s_x_i]

Wait... is the plane on a treadmill? :dw:

 

[Ironhand]

Or it could've taken off and flown West for 100 miles..

Or a strong westerly wind for those 200 miles going south then north can push it West in addition to fighting the plane from making easterly progress.

Something like that has actually happened. I believe a KB-50 tanker(Modified B-29 into a tanker with R-3650s) actually flew for an hour at 300 mph IAS and physically didnt go anywhere due to freakishly strong headwind from the jet stream.

 

[ChuckieC09]

Or it could've taken off and flown West for 100 miles..

Or a strong westerly wind for those 200 miles going south then north can push it West in addition to fighting the plane from making easterly progress.

Something like that has actually happened. I believe a KB-50 tanker(Modified B-29 into a tanker with R-3650s) actually flew for an hour at 300 mph IAS and physically didnt go anywhere due to freakishly strong headwind from the jet stream.

Wind would've been a good answer but the question says "on a calm day" ;-)

 

[oldmodman]

What about a little love for the South Pole?

 

[TripleBlack]

What about a little love for the South Pole?

Hahahahahahaha

 

[oilwell1415]

Wind would've been a good answer but the question says "on a calm day" ;-)

Except that even if it weren't on a calm day the question says he flies straight south, east and north, not that his heading is straight south east and north.

 

[kevin01cobra]

What about a little love for the South Pole?

Teach me how to fly south from the south pole and then we will talk...

 

[TripleBlack]

Teach me how to fly south from the south pole and then we will talk...

SWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!

That's oldmodman's comment going clean over you. :lol1:

 

[mav_tu]

Rotation of the earth. Even though he's flying mag south, the earth is still rotating under the plane. By the time he flies east and back north, the earth has rotated enough for the plane to be at its point of origin.

 

[66speed]

2012