The Physics of Flying

Okay, so I don't know how to draw a plane. But I've been wondering about the physics of flying. Last summer a friend flew on a small plane. She said that before they took off the stewardesses asked everyone if they would mind storing much of luggage from below beneath their seats and in the overhead compartments and even on their laps as "carry-on."

That way they could make their weight limit and fly safely.

So I had to ask my physics professor husband:

Does the plane change weight
when you move the suitcases?

A similar event/question--I put in one of my dear professor poems:

Dear Professor,

I wanted to ask you a question about flying.
I took a small plane from Charlotte to Richmond
and there was an extra-large man in the back of the plane.
The stewardess made him move to the middle
“to balance the plane.”

I was pretty nervous, especially
when he went to the bathroom mid-flight.
The stewardess said, Don’t worry. It’s okay.
As long as he doesn’t stay in there too long.

How long would that be?

published in Stud Duck along with several other Dear Professor poems.