4 ms·
A 747 won’t fall like a rock. It will glide.
by travisjungroth 3y ago
A 747 won’t fall like a rock. It will glide.
- rjmunro 3y agoYou can't say that without mentioning https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Airways_Flight_009 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Airways_Flight_009 Where the pilot said what is probably the most British thing ever said in history: > Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We have a small problem. > All four engines have stopped. We are doing our damnedest to get them going > again. I trust you are not in too much distress.
- tstrimple 3y agoJust in case folks don't click on the link, it was a safe landing and everyone survived. It turns out modern planes can glide quite well.
- kqr 3y agoThis is a very important point. The key difference is that a rock (like any ballistic projectile) accelerates until terminal velocity. In contrast, a 747 (like any airplane) descends with a constant vertical velocity when they lose power.