If there are aliens, what will they look like?

[otlski]

It is not 60 miles from the lake to the city, it is zero miles. That is my only point, I see that I did a poor job at expressing that. Where are you getting that distance from Trad?

 

[sd455dan]

I've heard the bean bag analogy before. When you throw it forward while sitting on the wheeled cart, your body is pushing against the beanbag, not the air. The weight of the beanbag propels you backward before it leaves your hand. No air necessary to push against. Same thing with retrorockets. The force is pushing IN against the inside of the engine, not OUT against the vacuum of space.

Score another point for the debunkers!

Here's an SR-71 story (by the pilot) to lighten up this thread a bit

My favorite don't give up on your dreams motivational speaker,
That has lived it

Great photographer as well

ps the short version of "Aspen 30 LA speed story" "we're showing a little closer to 2000 "

 

[BravoXray]

Here's an SR-71 story (by the pilot) to lighten up this thread a bit

If a twin Beech was only doing 120 kts, he had a helluva headwind.
Dad's TwinBo cruised at 185 kts while consuming 35 gallons of 100 octane per hour.

 

[MossRoad]

I would like to challenge the stated idea that you cannot see the Chicago skyline from Lake Michigan. It is simply not true. The lake is directly adjacent to the city, you can see it. What nuounce am I missing in this claim? What is this supposed 60 miles mentioned in Trad's post?

Come over to the sunset coast of Lake Michigan to, say, St. Joseph, MI. It's 60 miles across Lake Michigan. It's 95 miles by road.

On a very clear day, you can barely see the Chicago skyline from there. Any farther north up the sunset coast, you can only see it if you climb up a sand dune, tall building, or something similar, which, by the way, proves the farther you get away from it, the farther it drops down, which illustrates the curvature of the earth. The farther southwest you go down the coast, the more of the skyline you can see.

 

[MossRoad]

If a twin Beech was only doing 120 kts, he had a helluva headwind.
Dad's TwinBo cruised at 185 kts while consuming 35 gallons of 100 octane per hour.

No offense to your dad, but I hated those pigs! That's because I had to load them with freight, and you had to push it uphill, since it was a taildragger. But that's the only reason. Otherwise, they were pretty cool. Got to fly one over Lake Michigan going over to O'Hare to pick up some small stuff late one night. Even in that, you feel pretty small taxiing around O'Hare.

I pulled many dead bird parts out of the radial engines. I thought the nose wheel converted ones, and the turbine conversions were neat, too.

You ever hear of the drag racer Connie Kalitta? He owns Kalitta Air, a freight company. Huge. But back then, he'd fly in a twin beech and take a nap in a hammock strung up in the back when waiting. He used the air freight company to fund his drag racing habit.

 

[MossRoad]

he is saying you see it but “if the earth was round you wouldn’t see it”

“ So you should not be able to see the Chicago skyline from Lake Michigan (~60 miles) because there would be a 2400 ft drop behind the curve. The height of the observer would be nullified by laying on the ground and looking in the distance.”

from across the bay I am guessing like Benton Harbour

That's not a bay...

 

[Rockbadchild]

That's not a bay...

well i mean ok sure but it looks like a bay but i understand why you say that it’s not a inlet although there is a river their the land is curve inward creating the shape of a bay but yes it’s the shape of the lake itself so sure it’s not a bay i used the word for it explanation purposes…

 

[tradosaurus]

Your link doesn't work.

Straight from the horses mouth.

No curvature at 128,000 ft

Point being people will say you can see curvature flying a jet when the actor Neil deGrasse says you can't see it at 128,000 ft.

Horizon.....not curvizon.

 

[MossRoad]

Straight from the horses mouth.

No curvature at 128,000 ft

Point being people will say you can see curvature flying a jet when the actor Neil deGrasse says you can't see it at 128,000 ft.

Horizon.....not curvizon.

Point being....



HE's HOLDING A GLOBE TO EXPLAIN IT!

 

[tradosaurus]

Come over to the sunset coast of Lake Michigan to, say, St. Joseph, MI. It's 60 miles across Lake Michigan. It's 95 miles by road.

On a very clear day, you can barely see the Chicago skyline from there. Any farther north up the sunset coast, you can only see it if you climb up a sand dune, tall building, or something similar, which, by the way, proves the farther you get away from it, the farther it drops down, which illustrates the curvature of the earth. The farther southwest you go down the coast, the more of the skyline you can see.

View attachment 736763

Mirage or Reality?

Even this newscaster says you shouldn't be able to see Chicago at all from St. Joseph but makes up a condition called atmospheric refraction.
This would indicate this "condition" isn't present all the time so if you are actually seeing Chicago skyline any other time then what?
But wait! Neil deGrasse says you can't witness the curvature of the earth even at 168,000 ft.