Rotch, 1910, The relation of the wind to aerial navigation
Rotch summarizes his research into wind speed and elevation (generally, higher elevations have faster wind). "Thus it is evident that, in these latitudes, the aeronaut who maintains an altitude of two miles or more will be carried eastward, in most cases, with the speed of an express train."
"The increase in wind velocity with height above the ground is found from these records to be very rapid. At night it is faster and attains a maximum at the height of a third of a mile, above which there is a decrease in velocity, except in winter, up to two-thirds of a mile. Above that level there is little change between the day and night conditions and the velocity continues to increase up to the regions occupied by the highest clouds, where, as we have said, it blows on the average eighty miles an hour, and sometimes in winter at double that speed. On account of the diminished density of the air at this elevation, however, the pressure of the wind becomes only one-quarter of that for the same velocity at sea level."
| Original title | The relation of the wind to aerial navigation |
|---|---|
| Simple title | The relation of the wind to aerial navigation |
| Authors | Abbott Lawrence Rotch |
| Date | 1910 |
| Countries | US |
| Languages | en |
| Keywords | wind, aerial navigation, Blue Hill Observatory, navigation, ballon-sonde, instrument, anemometer, ballooning |
| Journal | Aircraft, Epitome Aeronautical Annual |
| Related to aircraft? | 1 |
| Page count | |
| Word count | |
| Wikidata id |
Sources
- Brockett (1921), page 1153, entry 2: Rotch, Abbott Lawrence. The relation of the wind to aerial navigation. James Means, Epitome Aeronautical Annual, Boston, W. B. Clarke Co., 1910, pp. 150-156, ill. Reprinted from the Epitome of the Aeronautical Annual, 1910, pp. 6. Aircraft, Vol. 1, No. 1 (Mar. 1910), New York, pp. 19-20. (B2p1153e02)
- Scan (Aircraft) at HathiTrust
