I want to listen to an >hour-long podcast episode where several people wise to the relevant history argue about why none of the great sailing societies were able to adapt their knowledge and develop even (hang gliders eg) rudimentary aviation. Who would be the right people?
Conversation
Fixed-wing flight is aerodynamically like tacking rotated 90 degrees right?
I don’t think people actually understood the principles that made tacking work until quite late. It was discovered late and only understood practically I think. Like alchemy type mental models.
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When I say tacking I mean sailing upwind not the zig zag maneuver part
I think you mean close-hauled? It's the point of sail you're at on either side of the no-go zone (which you tack through).
Most sails have strings and little windows on the sails so you can see the flow on both sides.
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Point_of_
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I learned to sail a few years but could never remember the jargon. Yeah, whatever range of points of sail you get an aerofoil effect as opposed to a pushing effect. Which I think would be all against the wind points up to 90 degrees


