Pilot's Log

Superman 2 was on one of the TV networks we get this afternoon, and I have to say it hasn't aged as well as I expected.  It got me thinking about things like speed and how we perceive motion.

I'm about average size for a human being.  If I went like the Man of Steel and flew at a rate of my own body's "flight length" per second, that's only about 5 mph--or jogging speed.  Just to put this in perspective:

* A WW1 biplane fighter at combat speed travels at five times its length per second.

* A WW2 heavy bomber or transport plane at cruise speed will also be moving at about five times its length per second.  (Because of the difference in size compared to the smaller planes of WW1, this would mean double the actual speed!)

* A WW2 fighter at its combat speed would go 15 times its length per second.

* A modern fighter jet at Mach 1 would be moving 25 times its length per second.

* A NASCAR or LeMans race car at 200 miles per hour goes nearly 20 times its length per second.

We don't think of these things when we watch fantasy movies (or sci-fi space opera) because we don't want to suspend our disbelief.  When Harry Potter is on his broomstick we don't clock his progress because he's moving at the speed of plot, not 45 miles per hour.

FP