Can an unpowered aircraft advance into a head wind (as a yacht can tack into a head wind)?
Asked by: Bruce Hoult Thomson 3217 views Aerodynamics, General Aviation
I was just looking at an interesting article about dirigibles to be used as internet hubs at high altitude see http://singularityhub.com/2014/04/09/first-balloons-and-drones-now-dirigibles-the-race-for-a-truly-world-wide-web/
They plan to use solar-powered motors to drive propellers when head winds up to 90 km/hr are encountered. Because exact positioning is not critical, and thinking of yachts (leveraging against the sea) tacking zig-zag forward, I wondered whether there was any 'clever' way of similarly using the headwind power itself to cause the aircraft to remain roughly geostationery.
I realize the aircraft has nothing to leverage against, but smart humans often achieve 'impossible' things by refusing to take no for an answer. E.g. humans flying. = ) Bruce Thomson in New Zealand
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