Global Flyer is over Africa

[billvon 3,120]

Anyone else watching the progress of the Global Flyer? It's over Algeria now. There was once a challenge (less than 100 years ago if I recall) that someone couldn't make it around the world in 80 days. Now a private company is doing it in 80 hours.

http://www.virginatlanticglobalflyer.com/MissionControl/Tracking/index.jsp

For extra credit - if, in the next 50 years, someone manages to fly around the world in less than 80 minutes, what will be unusual about how they perceive the world as they fly around it?

[jsaxton 0]

Just a guess, but red shift?

[wingnut 0]

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fly around the world in less than 80 minutes

if they could do it in less than 60 miutes woul they "go back in time" if they left from saythe international date line?

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"i have no reader's digest version"

[IanHarrop 43]

I been hoping for some views from the chase plane which was supposed to intercept before Casablanca.

Haven't seen any yet!

Looks like a press briefing is to start soon, they cleaned the presentation area and reset the mics.

"Where troubles melt like lemon drops, away above the chimney tops, that's where you'll find me" Dorothy

[GeordieSkydiver 0]

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if they could do it in less than 60 miutes woul they "go back in time" if they left from saythe international date line?

So if they left at 1200 midday from London, flew for 59 minutes and landed back in London??

It would be 1259.

So thats No then.

Lee _______________________________

In a world full of people, only some want to fly, is that not crazy?
http://www.ukskydiver.co.uk

[jtval 0]

thats a weird paradoxial tyope thing you got going on in your head there dave. you been watching superman (III, I think) lately.



Bill,
If they could do it in less then 80 minutes I would guess the earth would look oblongated somehow? I dunno didnt put much thought into it(obviously)

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[billvon 3,120]

>Just a guess, but red shift?

Nope! If they traveled at speeds where they started seeing appreciable red shift, they'd be able to make the trip in under a second. But then they'd have another problem, which is similar to the problem I'm talking about.

[Buried 0]

isn't the plan for him to be traveling on the wind currents? It looks like he has been doing that. If he travels the world in 80 hours, thats pretty cool, but unrealistic for the masses especially if its riding the currents

Where is my fizzy-lifting drink?

[ryoder 1,590]

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>Just a guess, but red shift?

Nope! If they traveled at speeds where they started seeing appreciable red shift, they'd be able to make the trip in under a second. But then they'd have another problem, which is similar to the problem I'm talking about.

Escape velocity?

"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

[billvon 3,120]

>Escape velocity?

No, that's around 25,000 MPH. They'd only be going around 20,000 mph. But you're getting close.

[indyz 1]

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They'd only be going around 20,000 mph.

The red shift comment leads me to think that you are talking about time dilation. Would their clocks really be off by a noticeable amount (to an observer reading a display, not to instrumentation on atomic clocks, because I seem to recall that's been done before)?

[pilotdave 0]

They'd probably be in orbit... Zero G flight.

Dave

[GeordieSkydiver 0]

Didn't they have 2 calibrated together and flew one up to the edge of space, then compared them on return and one was out by a few seconds??

Maybe that was on Red Dwarf, what do I know, I drink.

Lee _______________________________

In a world full of people, only some want to fly, is that not crazy?
http://www.ukskydiver.co.uk

[billvon 3,120]

> They'd probably be in orbit... Zero G flight.

Getting very close, but not quite. What's the period of a low earth orbit?

[IanHarrop 43]

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What's the period of a low earth orbit?

Hmmm.... 90 minutes?

"Where troubles melt like lemon drops, away above the chimney tops, that's where you'll find me" Dorothy

[billvon 3,120]

>Hmmm.... 90 minutes?

Right! So how would you travel the same path in 80 minutes?

[IanHarrop 43]

Time Travel!

Probably wrong but a fun answer!

"Where troubles melt like lemon drops, away above the chimney tops, that's where you'll find me" Dorothy

[councilman24 37]

Frictional heating from being in the atmosphere to shorten the path.

I'm old for my age.
Terry Urban
D-8631
FAA DPRE

[pilotdave 0]

Negative G dive the whole way round.

Dave

[wingnut 0]

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Negative G dive the whole way round

naw, that's when ya flip inverted and fly a positive g climb... er also called a "combat dive" lets ya see where ya are diving too.... besides most planes can take way more positive g's than they can negitve.....

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"i have no reader's digest version"

[billvon 3,120]

> Negative G dive the whole way round.

You got it! You'd spend the whole flight looking up at the earth.

[IanHarrop 43]

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> Negative G dive the whole way round.

You got it! You'd spend the whole flight looking up at the earth.

Damn I was hoping for time travel! Just not sure "when" I'd like to travel too.....

"Where troubles melt like lemon drops, away above the chimney tops, that's where you'll find me" Dorothy

[n2skdvn 0]

been keeping up with it since he took off. looks like he's making good time.

if my calculations are correct SLINKY + ESCULATOR = EVERLASTING FUN
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[pilotdave 0]

Can I change my answer to time travel?

Dave

[billvon 3,120]

> Can I change my answer to time travel?

Nope, sorry. We only know of a few ways time travel is even theoretically possible, and they're sort of difficult (unless you have a star-sized rod of ultradense material spinning at relativistic speeds, that is.)