At 11:46 AM 5/24/01 -0500, Reggie Bautista wrote:
>> > Marvin Long wrote:
>> > Really, the only difference you can possibly hang this
>> > debate on is the Wright brothers' launch by catapult.
>> > One might argue that the only real
>> > airplane is one that can take off under its own power, but
>> > that's mostly just a matter of having a better (more
>> > expensive) engine and wheels, and it doesn't involve any of
>> > the factors that distinguish an airplane from a
>> > dirigible, say: heavier than air, lift gained from
>> > airfoils, movable control surfaces, self-propelled, etc.
>> >
>>Alberto Moneiro replied:
>>But being self-launched is that distinguishes an airplane
>>from a glider.
>>
>>Alberto Monteiro
>
>So the fighter jets that are launched by catapult from aircraft carriers
>aren't airplanes? The Merriam Webster Dictionary (50th anniversary
>edition) defines an airplane as "a powered heavier-than-air aircraft that
>has fixed wings from which it derives lift." Of course, by that
>definition, movable wing airplanes aren't airplanes either...
The technical usage is to distinguish "fixed-wing aircraft" from
"rotary-wing aircraft"= helicopters. Aircraft such as the US F/FB-111,
F-14, the B-1, the Soviet "Backfire" bomber, etc., are sometimes referred
to as "swing-wing," but would be considered a subset of "fixed-wing."
-- Ronn! :)
