Following the weather

[mattbell]

There was a massive storm this morning. After the storm subsided, I got on an airplane and flew *through* the storm. If you have never experienced flying through a rainstorm at night... all I can tell you is that it's like that "warp speed" effect in star trek. The plane's lights illuminate raindrops as it flies through them, and the plane is moving so fast that the raindrops are stretched into lines dozens of feet long.

I am impressed that a jet engine can pull in several gallons of water per second and stay lit. Jet engines have an incredible strength to weight ratio. The air going out the back of the jet engine creates and equal and opposite reaction that keeps an incredibly heavy plane moving forward. Thus each jet engine is creating a mini-hurricane behind it to keep the plane up.

Here's a fun way of showing that: (not as fun for the people on the beach)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zxf4rrS-bQQ

The storm is now hitting us in Vegas. I actually thought Vegas had no weather. ;-)

Comments

[frogpyjamas.livejournal.com]

Hopefully you can make use of the hotel to hotel walkways and never have to go outside!