Prison Diary

[ExadiNigel]

....That's like saying just because you can only do 3mph through a crowd of people & some are walking at 5mph, they are travelling at high speed.

Well they are!

Nigel

[vonhosen]

....That's like saying just because you can only do 3mph through a crowd of people & some are walking at 5mph, they are travelling at high speed.

Well they are!

Nigel

Well there you go. I don't consider 5mph high speed at any time, it's always going to be a walking pace.

[ExadiNigel]

Well there you go. I don't consider 5mph high speed at any time, it's always going to be a walking pace.

That's entirely your choice, but that doesn't make others wrong!

Nigel

[vonhosen]

Well there you go. I don't consider 5mph high speed at any time, it's always going to be a walking pace.

That's entirely your choice, but that doesn't make others wrong!

Nigel

And it doesn't make them right either.

[TripleS]

....That's like saying just because you can only do 3mph through a crowd of people & some are walking at 5mph, they are travelling at high speed.

Well they are!

Nigel

Well there you go. I don't consider 5mph high speed at any time, it's always going to be a walking pace.

Not at my age, it ain't!

If I walk that fast, it takes too much concentration, and I can't enjoy the scenery.

In any case high speed and low speed are relative terms and I don't see how you're going to reach agreement in every particular case.

Best wishes all,
Dave.

[jont]

....That's like saying just because you can only do 3mph through a crowd of people & some are walking at 5mph, they are travelling at high speed.

Well they are!

Well there you go. I don't consider 5mph high speed at any time, it's always going to be a walking pace.

In any case high speed and low speed are relative terms and I don't see how you're going to reach agreement in every particular case.

well, quite. I'm reminded of this proverbial bit of humour:

In his book, Sled Driver, SR-71 Blackbird pilot Brian Shul writes:
"I'll always remember a certain radio exchange that occurred one day as Walt (my back-seater) and I were screaming across Southern California 13 miles high. We were monitoring various radio transmissions from other aircraft as we entered Los Angeles airspace. Though they didn't really control us, they did monitor our movement across their scope.
I heard a Cessna ask for a readout of its ground speed."90 knots" Center replied. Moments later, a Twin Beech required the same. "120 knots," Center answered. We weren't the only ones proud of our ground speed that day as almost instantly an F-18 smugly transmitted, "Ah, Center, Dusty 52 requests ground speed readout." There was a slight pause, then the response, "525 knots on the ground, Dusty." Another silent pause.

As I was thinking to myself how ripe a situation this was, I heard a familiar click of a radio transmission coming from my back-seater. It was at that precise moment I realized Walt and I had become a real crew, for we were both thinking in unison. "Center, Aspen 20, you got a ground speed readout for us?" There was a longer than normal pause.... "Aspen, I show 1,742 knots" (That's about 2004.658 mph who don't know)

[fungus]

I agree with VON on this one,

What we have here is a terminology conflict between the words high, and fast.

I wouldn't consider 70mph high speed. If we take the speed range of all road going vehicles, it will vary from as low as under 10 mph for invalid buggies, up to 200mph + for super cars and bikes. In that context 70mph is not high. What we are talking about here is a numerical scale where 70 sits approximately one third of the way up. It is therefore not high. On the other hand it could be considered fast, ex, "He was driving fast, but not speeding". This statement does not mention numerical speed, only that the driver was not considered to be breaking the speed limit, but driving fast within the legal constraints placed upon him. And the folowing statement, "His speed was too high for the circumstances". Niether of these statements tells us that the driver was travelling at high speed, only that the driver was travelling at a speed that was too fast or too high for the circumstances. He may have been travelling at 25mph past a school, between double parked cars at school leaving time, with parents collecting chidren. Not high speed, but way too fast.

The example of the pedestrian walking at 5mph would be a fast walking pace, but not a fast running pace, and certainly not high speed.

Nigel ADI
IAM trainee observer

[7db]

I enjoyed that quote Jont.

[spurs-442]

well, quite. I'm reminded of this proverbial bit of humour:

In his book, Sled Driver, SR-71 Blackbird pilot Brian Shul writes:
"I'll always remember a certain radio exchange that occurred one day as Walt (my back-seater) and I were screaming across Southern California 13 miles high. We were monitoring various radio transmissions from other aircraft as we entered Los Angeles airspace. Though they didn't really control us, they did monitor our movement across their scope.
I heard a Cessna ask for a readout of its ground speed."90 knots" Center replied. Moments later, a Twin Beech required the same. "120 knots," Center answered. We weren't the only ones proud of our ground speed that day as almost instantly an F-18 smugly transmitted, "Ah, Center, Dusty 52 requests ground speed readout." There was a slight pause, then the response, "525 knots on the ground, Dusty." Another silent pause. As I was thinking to myself how ripe a situation this was, I heard a familiar click of a radio transmission coming from my back-seater. It was at that precise moment I realized Walt and I had become a real crew, for we were both thinking in unison. "Center, Aspen 20, you got a ground speed readout for us?" There was a longer than normal pause.... "Aspen, I show 1,742 knots" (That's about 2004.658 mph who don't know)

I must admit that i didn't get this at all

[ScoobyChris]

I must admit that i didn't get this at all

Each of the pilots are thinking they are going fast, but everything is relative....

Chris

[spurs-442]

I must admit that i didn't get this at all

Each of the pilots are thinking they are going fast, but everything is relative....

Chris

Ahh - thanks for that - having a noddy day today.

Just to add my 2 pence about the forum topic - when i'm driving in my punto around residential roads (which takes up the vast majority of my driving) and i drive down a road with cars parked at either side - 20mph feels quite fast and i may only do 18-20mph even though the speed limit is 30mph. seeing someone drive down at 30mph feels very fast.

but - if the road had no parked cars then i would feel much happier doing 30mph. i guess its all about context and how we each percieve the situation dictates our progression.

Chris.

[7db]

I'm just disappointed that NASA wasn't on the call.

[TripleS]

I'm just disappointed that NASA wasn't on the call.

Aye, that could have been 22,000 knots.

BTW, ignorance showing again here, and going slightly off the original topic:

It is said that you need a speed of about 25,000 mph to escape from Earth's gravitational pull; but if you point your rocket straight up to the sky, and keep shoving hard enough for long enough, regardless of the speed, will it not eventually escape in a straight line, rather than going round and round until you reach escape velocity?

Sorry about all this, but you'd be amazed at some of the things I don't understand......or maybe you wouldn't!

Best wishes all,
Dave.

[spurs-442]

I'm just disappointed that NASA wasn't on the call.

Aye, that could have been 22,000 knots.

BTW, ignorance showing again here, and going slightly off the original topic:

It is said that you need a speed of about 25,000 mph to escape from Earth's gravitational pull; but if you point your rocket straight up to the sky, and keep shoving hard enough for long enough, regardless of the speed, will it not enentually escape in a straight line, rather than going round and round until you reach escape velocity?

Sorry about all this, but you'd be amazed at some of the things I don't understand......or maybe you wouldn't!

Best wishes all,
Dave.

I believe that it is actually 17,500mph to escape gravity's chains.

the rockets do (give or take a few degrees, go straight up) as they don't want to spend too much time in the ozone layer which would cook the rocket. and the fuel bill is large enough already without the need to go at an angle - which would require larger fuel tanks etc.

[Jimmy]

... and the fuel bill is large enough already without the need to go at an angle - which would require larger fuel tanks etc.

Just think what it would be like if NASA was based over here at the UK government got its fuel tax claws into things!