Lighter than air aircraft

[Markdun]

Obviously they don’t ascribe to the notion of ‘don’t look up’.  And I suppose there wouldn’t be much left of 3.5t 12m catamaran dropped from 500’... obviously it would all be still there on accordance with the laws of thermodynamics, but in small pieces according to entropy.

 How do gliders get away with dumping ballast, &/or lighter than air aircraft?

[Old Koreelah]

1 minute ago, Markdun said:

How do gliders get away with dumping ballast, &/or lighter than air aircraft?

Good question, MD. Do they still use bags of sand? Can’t recall our balloon pilots releasing ballast, but you’d expect it to be a routine event when the get in trouble. 

[facthunter]

Flour in a brown bag is pretty safe. You might have trouble with "self raising"?  Strips of toilet paper cutting and balloon busting are good training in something strong. Quickest from time of release decides best/winner. To bust a balloon you have to cut it with the outside arc of the prop. Near the centre if often doesn't break.  IF  asked I will deny everything. Suitable planes are not that available and if the wings come off. you're dead.  Nev

[facthunter]

Gliders use water ballast . Fuel is supposed to be dumped at a place and above a certain height. IF it's an emergency just  dump it. It's usually to get down to the legal landing weight. You can even ignore that if time is against you.  Nev

[Markdun]

Nev, I’m being picky; water is still a ‘thing’.

[facthunter]

It will generally not even reach the ground and if it did most would welcome it. Unlike avtur which is pretty unpleasant stuff. There would be times when chunks of ICE would drop from a plane. .  Nev

[Bruce Tuncks]

Once, during a gliding competition at Gawler, a woman complained that the gliders had flown up to the Murray and loaded up water there and dumped it, complete with blue-green algae, on her washing. I think she was placated to be told that the water was just Gawler tap water.

Yes, water ballast will help a glider go faster, but the same does not happen with a power-plane. Lighter will always be faster, other things being equal.

[spacesailor]

But !, using Hydrogen fuel will make ' Water ' , to be dumped on take off, & cruise .

spacesailor

[facthunter]

Your ICE car will deliver more than one gallon of water per each gallon of petrol..Nev

[facthunter]

Economical cruise will be slower for lighter loaded planes. They can also fly higher to find better winds.  Nev

[Old Koreelah]

2 hours ago, Bruce Tuncks said:

Once, during a gliding competition at Gawler, a woman complained that the gliders had flown up to the Murray and loaded up water there and dumped it, complete with blue-green algae, on her washing.

When packing up after a day of training at Narromine, a common hazard was getting buzzed by smart ass pilots of high performance gliders, who liked to dump their water ballast on us.

[facthunter]

 Wasn't yellow was it?   Nev

[Old Koreelah]

11 minutes ago, facthunter said:

 Wasn't yellow was it?   Nev

Too busy running to notice, Nev. If it was yellow, those bloke had plurry huge bladders!

[facthunter]

Only once have I dumped fuel. What a waste. Probably about 6 tons.  Nev