Heicopter Question

Gerry Asstrix

Most stupid/best ever opening post of the year?

Donny5

johnmcdnl wrote: »

it just doesn't work that way - the earth gravity keeps the helicopter stuck in the one spot basically... same reason as why if you jump you land in the exact same spot despite the earth moving at around say 900mph being an average value for around Ireland

that means if you jumped in the air for say 1 second you would end up 0.25 miles down the road - (900 / 60minutes / 60secs = 0.25miles)

so in answer to your quesiton - no it wouldn't be half way round the world

The reason the helicopter wouldn't move is not because of gravity. At least not directly. It's because the helicopter has the same angular momentum as the surface of the Earth it took off from. It will retain that angular momentum for the duration of it's flight unless a force acts upon it in the plane tangental to the Earth.

Poor Uncle Tom

If all the chainsaws in China were started and revved up at the same time the world would implode or China would shear off or something cool like that....:cool:

dilallio

Manic Moran wrote: »

At the equator, the earth's surface is spinning at about 1,000mph.
NTM

Ahhhhhhhh!.
Now it makes sense why all those African athletes are winning everything these days - they have to run extra fast just to stay still cos they live closer to the equator.

Probably why they're thinner too .....

Gillington

Deleted User wrote: »

Wrong. For a body to orbit the earth it has to be travelling extremley fast, such that the centripetal force caused by its circular path around the earth exactly counters the force of gravity at its orbital altitude. This is why the space shuttle must move at 17,000+ miles per hour to attain even low earth orbit. If it were not moving this fast it would just fall back to earth. It is not possible to just "hang" above the earth (and before someone mentions geostationary orbit at 36,000 km altitude, that doesn't count).

But what about geostationary orbit at 36,000 km altitude though?

Gillington

Gillington wrote: »

But what about geostationary orbit at 36,000 km altitude though?

It doesn't count. :pac:

ronnieryan

Thanks for the help. I think i understand now
Oh ye and I lost the bet

source

The low orbit argument is null and void from the start as the air isn't dense enough at those altitudes to allow the blades on the helicopter support the weight of the helicopter. The average ceiling for a rotational wing aircraft is around 20,000ft.

Adam

and it's helicopter.

The_B_Man

Thats an interesting one for that new Virgin space travel yoke! They'll probably fly up from London, and 20 minutes later land in Mexico or somewhere! Suppose it'd be a much quicker way of crossing the atlantic than a regular airplane!

OldGoat

The_B_Man wrote: »

Thats an interesting one for that new Virgin space travel yoke! They'll probably fly up from London, and 20 minutes later land in Mexico or somewhere! Suppose it'd be a much quicker way of crossing the atlantic than a regular airplane!

That would depend on whether the world is spinning clockwise or anticlockwise at the time. I'm sure they'll factor that into their costs though.

Earthhorse

OldGoat wrote: »

That would depend on whether the world is spinning clockwise or anticlockwise at the time. I'm sure they'll factor that into their costs though.

How would they cost a flight this weekend, with the clock going back and everything?

ottostreet

Why are engines measured in horsepower?

What defines the strength of one horse?

What if the horse is deformed, or missing a leg, or just a smaller than average horse? Would a deformed horse still be 'one horsepower'?

Cookie_Monster

ottostreet wrote: »

Why are engines measured in horsepower?

What defines the strength of one horse?

What if the horse is deformed, or missing a leg, or just a smaller than average horse? Would a deformed horse still be 'one horsepower'?

they're not. it just we still use it like miles and pints.

correct measurement is kilowatts.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horsepower

bigneacy

AnonoBoy wrote: »

Little know facts about helicopters from Dundalk's finest:

On behalf of Dundalk, we would like to take this opportunity to formally apologise for Jim Corr.

cock robin

If the chopper could climb outside the atmosphere around 80 miles should do the effect you desire is achievable. Kittinger was the first human to do this in a balloon. But alas there is no air and therefore no lift from the propellers. Thats why we have rockets and such like. Ryan air might like the idea.

Bonito

If a helicopter turns upside down, and puts the rotors in to reverse, can it hover upside down?

Donny5

cock robin wrote: »

If the chopper could climb outside the atmosphere around 80 miles should do the effect you desire is achievable.

No, it would not. Even if the helicopter could fly that high, it would still have the angular momentum it had when it took off. Look, just read the Wikipedia page.

Stercus Accidit

This is one of those bloody troll physics questions.

See this example;

Infinite fuel car

Donny5

Stercus Accidit wrote: »

This is one of those bloody troll physics questions.

See this example;

Infinite fuel car

Oh, that makes sense. I was wondering where this crap was coming from.

Pherekydes

Bonito wrote: »

If a helicopter turns upside down, and puts the rotors in to reverse, can it hover upside down?

Pfft, all the amps would fall out of the battery.

jiltloop

I think what would throw all physics as we know it out the window would be if either a)Chuck Norris was the pilot of said helicopter or b)said helicopter was built by Chuck Norris, in either case I would imagine the helicopter would do whatever the hell Chuck Norris wanted it to do and physics wouldn't dare question him.

FoxT

If it hovers, it hovers. Stays over the same spot. End of.

davyjose

ronnieryan wrote: »

I know this will sound stupid to some people but i need to settle an ongoing argument. If a helicopter somehow had enough fuel to fly for twelve hours and hovered in the one spot for that long, would it be half way round the world when it lands??
any help would be great

My cousin drowned.

She took her skipping rope on a ferry!!!

Soby

Not the worst questions.Remind of that one about if you jumped while you were on a train why doesnt the train pass under you

bigneacy

Soby wrote: »

Not the worst questions.Remind of that one about if you jumped while you were on a train why doesnt the train pass under you

:eek::eek::eek: why doesn't the train pass under you?

We need to ask Jim Corr his theory on this...

Osgoodisgood

Cyrus Chubby Blob wrote: »

I think if its a really strong helicopter that it might blow the earth off its axis, causing a second ice age.

But thats just my opinion.

We've had many ice ages and only some of them have been started by helicopters.

TwoShedsJackson

Been reading the QI Book of the Dead and in the intro they mention that around 90 billion people have been born so far. If you were to put all of them on a giant weighing scales they would still be comfortably outweighed by the amount of ants that are alive RIGHT NOW :eek:

Lando Griffin

ronnieryan wrote: »

I know this will sound stupid to some people but i need to settle an ongoing argument. If a helicopter somehow had enough fuel to fly for twelve hours and hovered in the one spot for that long, would it be half way round the world when it lands??
any help would be great

And what if the same helicoptor with the same amount of fuel with the same driver was to hover over the moon in one spot for 12 hours, would it be then on the other side of our favourite non gravitial and mystical satellite?

Overature

if you jumb straight up in thr air, you dont move sideways