How slow can aircraft safely fly, I can see that a very slow aircraft would be very useful?

Question

I wonder also if an aircraft can fly at zero ground speed in a suitable headwind.

Answer 1

There are many aircraft types designed for very slow flight and Short Takeoff and Landing operations.

Try an internet search on "STOL aircraft."

Answer 2

look up harrier aircraft. already in use

Answer 3

Depends on the pilot! An experienced pilot should be able to fly an aircraft using the glider should the engines stop working, but it also depends on the size of the aircraft!

Answer 4

Zero airspeed, it's called a rotary winged aircraft or helicopter.

Answer 5

There was a slow flying aircraft, the Edgley Optica, that was designed as a helicopter replacement for police and similar duties as it would have been much cheaper to operate. Unfortunately it could fly so well at around stall speed that it was prone to sudden instability that caused a couple of crashes and the project was stopped.

Answer 6

How slow an airplane can safely fly depends on the particular airplane, and whether it is flying level or turning, in landing or cruise configuration, and a few other factors. A Boeing 747 cannot safely fly slower than about 130 knots in landing configuration, and normal approach speed is around 150 knots. A two seat Cessna 152, on the other hand, can safely fly as slowly as 45 knots with flaps down while carrying some power. In a very high wind, one can indeed "hover" at zero ground speed.

Slow flying fixed-wing aircraft are indeed very useful in some applications, and they are usually referred to as STOL airplanes, for Short Takeoff and Landing. A typical slow-flying speed in one of these birds is around 35 knots. Versions of them date back as far as the late 1920's. See this link link about the Guggenheim competetion of 1927: http://www.aerofiles.com/guggen-sac.html .

STOL airplanes  can fly slowly because of special "lift-enhancing" features, which include the choice of the correct airfoil and the use of wing slots or slats and either slotted or fowler-type flaps. Some light airplanes, such as the Piper J-3 Cub, can fly very slowly without these special devices, simply because it is so light, has a very large wing area for its size, and has a thick, high-lift airfoil. It lands at around 40 mph.

Perhaps the most famous slow-flying airplane of all time was the WWII German Fieseler Fi-156 Storch which had amazing slow-flying abilities. You can read about it here: http://www.storch.no/thestorch.htm  Many other countries also developed similar aircraft during WWII, including the Stinson L-1 Vigilant in the USA. Modern STOL aircraft employing similar design features include the Pilatus Porter (Swiss), the PZL-104 Wilga (Poland), and the Helio Courier (USA). All these airplanes can easily "hover", or even drift backward, with a stiff headwind. When the Storch was first demonstrated publicly in 1936, the pilot flew around inside the Olympic stadium in Munich and then landed inside a 50 foot circle. The crowd was astonished.

Answer 7

Yes, an aircraft can fly at zero ground speed in a suitable headwing.....if it couldn't, then obviously the headwing wouldn't be suitable.  I have encountered winds in excess of 100 knots at 20,000 and that is more than enough for many fixed-wing aircraft to fly backwards.  

Of course it can be useful to fly slowly.....thus the use of blimps, hueys, ospreys, harriers, etc.

Answer 8

A very light aircraft probably could do so briefly.  

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The size of aircraft often make them appear to be moving slowly.  Seen from the right vantage point and a 747 coming in for a landing seems to be moving very slowly when in fact it's traveling at a speed of around 180 mph.

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Answer 9

One of the bombers that flew over Japan during WW2 (where the Jet Streams were discovered) had the navigator realise and announce to the crew that that they had just flown a hundred or so miles 'backwards' (sorry, I can't recall the figures).

As to how 'slow' can aircraft fly ~ in the normal course of events.  Given the weather and windspeed, it's possible to actually fly a stable '0' ~ whilst also possible to fly a 'minus whatever' due to the velocity of windspeed (and as stated above, meaning you are actually 'flying backwards').

All / each of these is of course, relative to the type and size of the aircraft.

Sash.

Answer 10

Yes, airplanes CAN fly at zero groundspeed in a strong headwind.  In fact, it is quite possible for airplanes to fly BACKWARDS relative to the ground below if the headwind is strong enough.

Slow speed in calm winds depends on the designed stall speed of the aircraft, and some ultralights can fly as slow as 20 MPH before they stall completely.

Answer 11

What you want is a helicopter.  They can fly at speeds upwards of 180 MPH and they can hover motionless.  As you're aware, they can take off and land without a runway.  They can serve as weapons platforms, air ambulances, crop dusters, firefighters, arial maintenance platforms and observational platforms. They're probably the most utilitarian aircraft in existence.

Answer 12

I have never flown backwards... never got into a headwind like that. YES it is possible..

But consider this... For an airplane to fly backward would mean that your headwind exceeds your typical operating forward speed.

Flying a light aircraft in conditions like that is one thing and one thing only:

S ---- T---- U ---- P ---- I ---- D

Answer 13

Fixed-wing aircraft can indeed fly at zero (and even negative) ground speed, if the wind speed is high enough.  How high is high enough?  It depends on the airplane.  For a small light airplane, some can fly at as low as maybe 30-40 mph; some bush planes can go even slower.  I've seen this done a few times, on very windy days in Oklahoma, with Piper Cubs and Aeroncas, by a pilot who's showing off for spectators.

Speed over the ground is completely immaterial to how an airplane flys.  It's all in how fast it's moving through the air, and if the air itself is moving fast enough, the airplane will fly even though stationary relative to the ground.

I checked to see if someone may have posted a video of someone doing this, but couldn't find any.  The 'windy season' is coming up in the next month or two out on the east side of the Rockies (out in New Mexico, they frequently get days with 60-70 mph sustained winds, though usually these are associated with dust storms so it's not usually a good time to go fly).  Maybe someone might shoot some video and post it to YouTube or something.

And as every fling-wing driver in the world is pointing out, you can do this pretty much anytime you want with a helicopter.

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Flying 'backwards' is not stupid.  The airplane / helicopter does not care what it's doing in relation to the ground (unless you're landing or crashing).  Everything is in relation to the air, not the ground.  If you're moving fast enough through the air (or in the case of a rotary wing, you're moving enough air downwards), you'll fly.  If the air is itself moving fast enough for the airplane you're flying, you can achieve zero or even negative ground speeds as safely as sitting in front of your computer.  There's no wild piloting or daredevil stunts involved.  It's just slow flight, nothing more (or depending on the wind speed, maybe not so slow).

Think of it this way--if you're on a boat in a river with a swift current, and you're headed upstream, to move forward relative to the bank you have to be going faster than the current.  If you're going slower, you're going to be going downstream.  If you match the current, you'll stay in one place--relative to the bank.  You'll still be moving through the water.

Answer 14

The slowest I have heard of a plane going is just a little under 100mph so about 95mph-100mph