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Luftkutscher
11 years ago

This can in principle be any aircraft, regardless of whether it is a private aircraft, a commercial aircraft, a military aircraft or whatever it is for an aircraft.
When the wind comes from the front and the wind speed is higher than the speed at which the aircraft moves through the surrounding air, then it moves relative to the ground not forward but backward.
I have also experienced when I was to transfer a Piper J3C from France to Austria. The Mistral in Rhonetal came from the front and a forward was not possible. In the climbing flight I actually flew backwards!

rudim1950
11 years ago

Yeah, I remember that from my time at the Air Force. There we had a Dornier Do-27 as a connecting plane in the squadron and that was the case.

One could see how it was pushed backwards with very strong wind (which was no problem at the North Sea) and, despite full performance, did not come from the spot. She had to turn around and try something different.

I don’t know if there’s a modern plane flying “backward”. Maybe someone knows a pattern here (motorized, not a sailplane).

Luftkutscher
11 years ago
Reply to  rudim1950

Do 27 at the Bundeswehr? That was not a private plane, but a military plane. The questioner asked explicitly whether this can be a private aircraft 🙂

rudim1950
11 years ago
Reply to  Luftkutscher

Hi, thanks for the info, but I don’t understand the meaning of the comment. I interpret the question even more in the direction of “small aircraft”, i.e. according to today’s definition “SEP/L up to 2,000 kg departure mass”.

So, what is the difference whether a Do-27 is used privately or militaryly? It was not designed for armed operations, it was used as a connecting aircraft and it was also in civil execution.

And a Do-27 with civilian painting has not acted differently than the military version. Prof. Grzimek, the animal researcher, had a Do-27 in Africa and that was civilian (at least had a zebra painting). So there were at least one machine that was not used militaryly.

But if you can prove that only the military version could fly “backward”, I am grateful for a hint. Then I can update my database.

rudim1950
11 years ago

Yeah, I know. But if you’re working in traffic aviation, you think “big.” And I think it’s a good working hypothesis to assume that at least 80% of all viewers/listeners equal small planes with “hobby flying”.

And probably 80% of these machines are also used for recreational aviation in associations or for training purposes at flight schools or are owned by “residence pilots”.

I don’t want to discriminate against the little planes. They also have a right of existence under the great, wide, infinite heaven.

Luftkutscher
11 years ago

You missed an important emoticon. This was at the end of the commentary.
I am always wondering that single-engined aircraft up to 2 to MTOW are either called private aircraft or sports aircraft.
I used to operate such aircraft professionally, but neither were the private aircraft (they belonged to a legal person) nor were they used for sports purposes.

Dragons4ever
9 years ago

Yes, it is possible, but only with a few aircraft that have a very low minimum speed. So-called STOL(Shoard Take-Off and Land(on German short start and landing). And most of the civilian variants are only delivered to the civilian sector military aircraft. Like the Fiesler Storch(Wehrmacht(Declaration/Botplane), later mainly to air rescues on a limited area) or the Pipr L-4 both aircraft can stand on the spot with enough counterwind and fly, start and land back. If you still ask, just say it

Kleinalrik
11 years ago

Yes / No.

It then moves forward relative to the air medium, i.e. produces quite normal lift.

It can move backwards relative to the ground.

Energiefan01
11 years ago
Reply to  Kleinalrik

Please take into account the earth rotation if it would fly to the west or east.

Luftkutscher
11 years ago
Reply to  Energiefan01

Sure. Earth curvature must also be taken into account, which is why in long-haul flights the machine must always trim slightly head-loaded 🙂

Kleinalrik
11 years ago
Reply to  Energiefan01

Irrelevant (if that was not a fun comment from you). Any deviations occur due to the Coriolis force, are negligibly low and occur even with “normal” forward flight.

WetWilly
11 years ago
Reply to  Kleinalrik

It does not move forward to the air medium if the counterwind is stronger than the propulsion by propeller or engine. Then it can’t fly anymore.

Kleinalrik
11 years ago
Reply to  WetWilly

I’m gonna have to chew on it…

Actually, it should not matter to the propeller whether the air moves backwards faster relative to the ground than the propeller can generate propulsion…

At least good objection!

Luftkutscher
11 years ago

What kind of pilot did you ask? A hobby pilot with 100 flight hours?
In principle, it can be no matter how fast the air mass travels in which it flies. This has nothing to do with a crash flight and the dynamic pressure does not increase as long as the True air speed does not change.

Just to understand: Imagine a plane flying over a closed cloud cover and surrounding a hot air or gas balloon.
Neither the pilot of the aircraft nor the pilot of the balloon notice whether a wind blows or if there is still wind.
So everything is harmless. Would the cloud cover now dissolve and both the pilot of the aircraft and the pilot of the balloon would now realize that the balloon is actually blown over the surface of the earth at high speed all the time, what would change?
Nothing! As long as the air mass flows laminar, it doesn’t matter how fast this air mass moves.

Kleinalrik
11 years ago

So, once asked a pilot:

Flight on the spot or reverse flight with strong wind is quite possible and not even so unusual. The flight position remains stable as long as the surfaces are uniformly surrounded by air.

He couldn’t tell me whether this is the case with any high counterwinds. This is as similar to a crash flight, at some point the dynamic pressure at the front edges of the wing becomes unhealthy. The propulsion of the propeller, however, ensures that the aircraft always moves forward in behavior to the air masses, no matter how high the counterwind is.

WetWilly
11 years ago

I’m afraid you didn’t understand my objection…

Energiefan01
11 years ago

are negligibly small and occur even in “normal” forward flight.

So there’s nothing else I said.

SpitfireFan
11 years ago

Of course, it is important, in the end, that the propellers are so much producible that the buoyancy force is produced if this is the case at a speed of, for example, 100 km/h to the air, it would also lift who is flying backwards when the wind is 150 km/h.

schildi
11 years ago

then it will not start

WetWilly
11 years ago

No, because then no buoyancy is produced on the supporting surfaces. The “lift” is generated by the pressure difference of the air flowing past the upper and lower sides of the support surfaces.

SpitfireFan
11 years ago
Reply to  WetWilly

Of course, buoyancy is generated when the wind flows quickly enough over the supporting surfaces. If the difference of the speed of the air and that of the aircraft is greater than the lifting speed, the aircraft can start and fly backwards with all controls, etc.

WetWilly
11 years ago
Reply to  SpitfireFan

Perhaps we have different views about the reference framework here: my thought approach is based on “airspeed”, not on “groundspeed”…

amidon
11 years ago

no, it is slowed down

HerrWagner
11 years ago

Define flying? With enough wind, cars can fly.

Otherwise, things are naturally built to fly forward 😐

maussuam
11 years ago
Alex2cv
11 years ago

No, because it would crash immediately, as there would be a flow break.

Energiefan01
11 years ago
Reply to  Alex2cv

The flow is caused by the counterwind. The plane doesn’t matter, which causes the buoyancy.