Riddle me this Batman

[Super 80]

An airplane releases a balloon that stays at that altitude over point A. It then flies outbound for 45 minutes when it passes another airplane at the same altitude going the same speed but in the opposite direction. (instant turn) The second plane makes a bee line from that passing directly to the balloon. It catches the balloon over point B on the ground. Points A and B are 75 nautical miles apart.

What is the wind speed at that altitude?

(Air Force types and engineers will not get the solution, but the new guys getting their private license will.)

See you on Monday, have a nice weekend.

 

[FastMover]

My answer for the winds aloft are 50knots. ?????

 

[UnstableAviator]

Hmm....good question. Without knowing the second plane's time to the balloon, I don't see how to figure the question.


However, I'm going with 0 (zero) as my final answer.

EDIT: I think we need an answer anyday now.

Rethinking the question, I gonna have to agree with 50 knots as well.

 

[FastMover]

I am guessing it is some kind of trick question. But i dont see how 0 could be the answer because the balloon moveed 75 miles from its previous point so something has to be moving it. But i dont think there is enough information to solve it mathmatically because you would have to know how long the second plane took to get back to the balloon.

 

[OtterFO]

The answer is 0, the rotation of the earth makes the 75 mi difference.

Thats my story and I'm sticking to it.

 

[Wankel7]

1.2 knots windspeed? lol gawd i need to go to sleep.

Wankel

 

[bart]

Well, we know the airplane flies into a headwind for 45 minutes and has a tailwind for 45 minutes and the plane catches the balloon 75 miles after that, but before I answer I would want more information:

1) Was there a completed environmental impact statement on file?

2) What color was the balloon? Did it contain hydrogen or helium?

3) Was the composition of the crew of the aircraft in keeping with the diversity program of the company operating it?

4) Did the pilots pay for training or pay their dues?

5) Did the aircraft open the door inflight, and if so, was there an STC installed for this operation or was it a part of the original airworthiness certificate?

Those are just a few of the pertinent questions that come to mind.

But to answer without that info, my guess would 75 divided by 1.5 which yields 50 knots.

 

[enigma]

An airplane releases a balloon that stays at that altitude over point A. It then flies outbound for 45 minutes when it passes another airplane at the same altitude going the same speed but in the opposite direction. (instant turn) The second plane makes a bee line from that passing directly to the balloon. It catches the balloon over point B on the ground. Points A and B are 75 nautical miles apart.

What is the wind speed at that altitude?

(Air Force types and engineers will not get the solution, but the new guys getting their private license will.)

See you on Monday, have a nice weekend.

I hesitate to speak for fear of confirming that I am in fact a fool. However, I have to take a guess. The balloon traveled 75 miles in 90 minutes, giving a balloon speed of 50 knots.

Assuming that the airmass is completely uniform, that every molecule of air at that certain altitude moved the exact same distance and direction during the duration of the experiment; I don't think that it should really make any difference how fast the airplanes are, only that they are flying at an equal speed. Nor do I think that the wind direction makes any difference versus the aircraft direction, since all three (two airplanes and one balloon) are in the same airmass.

regards,
enigma

 

[de Pez]

I remember flying with a Captain once who loved riddles...."I walk with 4 legs in the morning, 2 during the day, and 3 at night" Blah, blah, blah. All day long.. Then he'd throw a fit when I refused to play his inane game. The one truth I found was that he NEVER gave enough true information to make a logical progression to the answer that he hid like his own private toy.

A) Is this plane flying through a uniform atmosphere? If so, what is the density? Is it even earth's atmosphere or some hypothetical vacuum where Newtonian physics alone would apply? Are we to assume no Coriolis force whatsoever?

B) What balloon? What altitude (100,000' or 3')? Is it a Helium, hydrogen, or a water balloon released by a low flying plane three feet above sea level onto a moving vehicle to splash and then continue on precisely 75 miles over the next hour and a half as a limp piece of rubber on the back of a flatbed truck? For that matter, what if it were released 30' below sea level into the Dead Sea, and was transported by sea currents. In that case, is the water balloon full of fresh water or sea water? It would matter.

C) There are about a dozen other potential variables which come to mind, however I believe you are probably looking at the earth's rotation as the apparant means of displacement. However if that's the case, assuming (which is always a mistake) it's a uniform atmoshere, where was the balloon released? At the equator the earth is rotating at just over 1,000 mph, however at the poles, there is no measurable movement at all. Which opens another question regarding the tilt of the earth's axis. And we were assuming no Coriolis force, right?

Anyone ever see "Princes Bride"? I love that movie.

Regardless, based on the remarkably limited amount of information you gave, and making several enormous assumptions, my answer is zero... (That's my ranking of this question, not my assessment of the wind speed.)

 

[de Pez]

Sorry if my above post was obnoxious. Apparently I'm not very good with riddles. I apologize if any offense was taken.