Flying vertically

[angharad]

AS the world is constantly turning could aeroplanes not just fly vertically upwards and descend once the right spot was underneath them?

[rekstout]

Not really, it would be like throwing a coin up and down whilst in a train - it will still land at you feet even though the train is moving at 100+mph.

The aircraft would still be moving horizontally - it's just that it moves relative to the earth.

There are proposals to send sub-orbital aircraft up and down in large arcs to get from A to B - the idea being that - flying so high - the lower atmospheric resistance would allow for greater speed and fuel efficiency.

[Hamish]

I agree with Rekstout, the problem with the su-orbital approach is that the air craft woul have to be rocket powered (at least at the peak of it's climb) as there wouldn't be enough oxygen (or air) to run a convetional jet engine. HOTOL was a European sugestion to use this idea, it was proposed that it would give a 3 hour journey time (London to Sidney). But of couse at a cost. Hamish

[rekstout]

Given the success rate of tests of alternatives like SCRAM jets and the recent Japanese supersonic jet tests in Oz - it does look like we will be relying on more sedate modes of transport for a good while yet