The editor writes… An aircraft must keep up a certain airspeed to stop it stalling. But when flying into a headwind, it can reduce its ground speed without fear of falling. These facts were stressed by Clive Teale in a correction to our question Plane Thinking on 23 March. The correspondent he was correcting, Len Winokur, had actually made the same point, but his answer was sent off course by the word-traffic controller at the Last Word. Apologies to Len for the error.
To continue reading, today with our introductory offers
Advertisement
More from New Scientist
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Technology
Tiny discs can levitate in the upper atmosphere using sunlight alone
News
Technology
Solar drone with wingspan wider than jumbo jet could fly for months
News
Environment
Have we found an unlikely solution to the climate impact of flying?
Comment
Technology
Why bizarre Cold War hoverboats are making a comeback
News
Popular articles
Trending New Scientist articles
1
We have figured out a new way to send messages into the past
2
Human heads have changed shape a lot in the past 100 years
3
100-year-old assumption about the universe may soon be overturned
4
The 4 biggest myths about hydration, according to an expert
5
We may finally have a cure for many different autoimmune conditions
6
Is consciousness more fundamental to reality than quantum physics?
7
Weird 'transdimensional' state of matter is neither 2D nor 3D
8
Why the keto diet could be a revolutionary way to treat mental illness
9
Thought-provoking photographs capture what it feels like to have ADHD
10
10,000 new planets found hidden in NASA telescope data
