If the sun never sets at 40,000 feet, does aging stop as well?
An airliner is on a course of 270 headed directly to San Francisco International Airport. The co-pilot is watching the evening sun and notices that it seems to be hovering. The altimeter indicates 40,005.13619 feet MSL (Mean Sea Level). SFO is 37.78° north latitude and the sun is holding steady above the horizon.
Find the true airspeed (TAS) of the airliner, given no appreciable winds.
(Hint: The radius of Earth is 3,960 miles; ignore any aircraft Mach limits.)
Correct answers sent to [email protected] could win a Tucker’s gift card.
Last week’s winner was James Forakis with A = 22698.007 square meters.
Jeff Smith is a former Math teacher and a retired US Navy Lieutenant Commander. Reach him at [email protected].
