Expert: Paul Soderman - 6/3/2008

Question
My friend claims to see with his own eyes, more than once, that the airliners can stop moving in midair while waiting to land. Please answer in accademic explanation, because my friend earned electical engineering degree, I try in vain to disregard the possibility of the idea, but he believe in his own eyes.

Answer
If an airliner stopped in midair it would fall from the sky.  They need airspeed to sustain lift on the wings. Perhaps it was an illusion caused by the aircraft turning and coming toward the viewer - not sure. Sometimes our eyes play tricks on us.

Certain military aircraft such as the British Harrier can stop and hover in midair because of its special jet vectoring system.    An American prop/rotor military aircraft can also transition from forward flight to hover.  But these are not airliners by any means.  Stopping an airliner in midflight might cause heart attacks in the passengers.

Paul