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Not to mention that I am fairly certain I've caught him being horribly wrong more than once. But for the life of me, I cannot seem to remember which times it wa

Not to mention that I am fairly certain I've caught him being horribly wrong more than once. But for the life of me, I cannot seem to remember which times it was. I'm sure I'll come across those videos again sometime though, and when I do; I'll be sure to edit this comment. Knowing my luck, it will be in the next few days time.

vladTheInhaler 4y ago
Tyson once said on twitter “An airplane whose engine fails is a glider. A helicopter whose engine fails is a brick.” Now it's not at all obvious why that's not true. But that's why it's important to be humble about what you do and don't know.
- mrexroad 4y ago
  In case anyone else is interested in the not-at-all-obvious-answer [1], I’ll save you the google: autorotation > Autorotation is the ability of a helicopter to in some situations have its rotors powered by the flow of air rather than the engine. In short, as the helicopter descends, the upward directed flow of air pushes through the rotors, makes them rotate faster, which in turn provides lift. [1] https://www.highskyflying.com/can-helicopters-glide/ https://www.highskyflying.com/can-helicopters-glide/
  - mixmastamyk 4y ago
    Still, isn’t it more likely for the occupants to survive when a plane lands without power, assuming a decent landing spot?
    - fsckboy 4y ago
      a helicopter can "glide down" just like an airplane. if your engine fails, with the aid of the rotor as you descend you can turn the potential energy of being up in the air into forward motion, and that forward motion will generate lift over your rotor blades. You practice these techniques as part of getting a license. see the "dead man's curve" which relates to having an engine failure with insufficient height or lateral speed (helicopters shouldn't hover in place unless a good ways up) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helicopter_height%E2%80%93velocity_diagram https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helicopter_height%E2%80%93velo...
      - mixmastamyk 4y ago
        Agreed, however forward motion works for a plane landing with wheels. A helicopter with "skis" sounds less effective.

vladTheInhaler 4y ago

Tyson once said on twitter “An airplane whose engine fails is a glider. A helicopter whose engine fails is a brick.” Now it's not at all obvious why that's not true. But that's why it's important to be humble about what you do and don't know.

mrexroad 4y ago
In case anyone else is interested in the not-at-all-obvious-answer [1], I’ll save you the google: autorotation > Autorotation is the ability of a helicopter to in some situations have its rotors powered by the flow of air rather than the engine. In short, as the helicopter descends, the upward directed flow of air pushes through the rotors, makes them rotate faster, which in turn provides lift. [1] https://www.highskyflying.com/can-helicopters-glide/ https://www.highskyflying.com/can-helicopters-glide/
- mixmastamyk 4y ago
  Still, isn’t it more likely for the occupants to survive when a plane lands without power, assuming a decent landing spot?
  - fsckboy 4y ago
    a helicopter can "glide down" just like an airplane. if your engine fails, with the aid of the rotor as you descend you can turn the potential energy of being up in the air into forward motion, and that forward motion will generate lift over your rotor blades. You practice these techniques as part of getting a license. see the "dead man's curve" which relates to having an engine failure with insufficient height or lateral speed (helicopters shouldn't hover in place unless a good ways up) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helicopter_height%E2%80%93velocity_diagram https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helicopter_height%E2%80%93velo...
    - mixmastamyk 4y ago
      Agreed, however forward motion works for a plane landing with wheels. A helicopter with "skis" sounds less effective.