In a debate with someone who thinks the earth could be flat, not smart enough to despute a point they are making plz help.
In: 1372
Your question makes no sense, you do need to correct your course to keep the plane on the altitude it is in
It certainly could, it really depends on how you define “straight line.” A straight line angled upwards, yes, it’ll gain altitude. A straight line at a constant altitude, no, because its path is very slightly curved to follow the curvature of the Earth
Gravity pulls the plane down.
Also the pilots can pilot the plane so it doesn’t zoom off into space.
Planes are trimmed to maintain a constant altitude. Gravity is trying to pull the plane down, engines and lift are trying to hold it up. When these forces are balanced in a properly trimmed aircraft altitude is maintained. Gravity is always pulling the plane straight down. Assuming the atmosphere at a given altitude is of a consistent density these forces remain in balance as the Earth “drops away” under the nose of the aircraft. As a result no adjustments in the attitude of the aircraft are necessary to maintain a constant altitude relative to the center of the Earth.
It’s would appear to be gaining altitude, so the pilot would adjust the plane so that it stays at the same altitude.
Planes fly in the atmosphere. The atmosphere gets thinner as you climb higher. For an airplane to maintain flight at a constant altitude you need to have a certain function of airspeed and angle of attack for that altitude (this varies by airplane and other factors like air temperature). Once you have that set the airplane will not climb any higher than that altitude. As the earth slopes away from you so will the atmosphere and the airplane will “ride” the curvature of the atmosphere and therefore the earth. To fly like they say where the airplane would continuously climb away from the earth, you would have to constantly be increasing speed and/or angle of attack to keep climbing and you would show a climb on the altimeter rather than level flight. At some point you’d reach the aircrafts service ceiling and couldn’t climb any higher.
Source: I’m a pilot.
A plane’s travel is affected by gravity and the layers of air that they’re traveling through. The pilot maintains a consistent altitude and therefore doesn’t just fly off. At some point it wouldn’t be able to fly higher due to lack of air.
On the other hand, if that plane was flying level and had a very powerful laser pointing straight out of its nose that laser beam would travel off into space.
Older video, but I suggest you watch it. Explains the very question you’re asking in an understandable way. Also, heavily makes fun of flat earthers.
Aircraft in level flight fly parallel to the ground. Because the ground curves, the plane’s path curves. They do this with a device called an artificial horizon that uses a little gyroscope that stays level, while gravity makes the bottom of it point down at the middle of the earth. (Or just by looking at the real horizon if they can see it.)
Take a paper plate. Stick a thumb tack in the center.
Attach a length of string to the thumb tack. Pull the string tight. This is gravity.
Now move your hand forward. You’ll see that the string pulls your hand in a circle around the plate. This is because “gravity” is pulling you toward the plate and you follow the curve of the plate.
Latest Answers