CORed
Penultimate Amazing
Of course, here humber fails to understand the critical difference between a balloon and a sailboat: A sailboat has a hull in the water, causing drag when the boat moves relative to the water, since a sail moving directly downwind will generate less force as its speed approaches that of the wind, an equilibrium below wind speed will be reached. Similar arguments apply to land yachts or ice boats. The rolling resistance of the wheels, or the friction of the runner on the ice will prevent the sailcraft from reaching wind speed.Free balloons travel close to the wind, but no object ever gets to 100% of WS. That implies a force on the balloon of zero. If one is naive enough to think that the air in front of the balloon travels at the same speed as the air at the rear, then you have my ducks is a row.
It is obvious even from commons sense, that the balloon will cast a wind shadow. The Carteers accept that no sail can get to WS, but think a balloon can.
A free-floating balloon, however, has nothing interacting with a medium with relative motion to the air. It will, in short order, be moving at the same velocity as the air it is floating in.
Calling the burner of a hot-air balloon a heat engine is a real stretch, but whatever. The burner allows the balloon to move vertically, by changing the bouyancy of the balloon. It may move relative to the air briefly, if it moves between altitudes with differing wind velocity, but will pretty qucikly match the velocity of the air it's floating in.They have a world of cartoons, where all complex matters are dismissed.
Spork retails simple-minded analogies.
Thus demonstrating that they don't travel at WS. If the string is not at WS, then the balloon can't be, unless you think the balloon can travel further than the string, while attached to the string. A vertical string may demonstrate WS.
Hot air balloons have an engine: a heat engine. They use potential energy gained from gravity to exceed the wind. They may travel less than, the same as or more than windspeed.
The balloons are used by Carteers to avoid talking about the major problems they have with their BS cart: the cheating, data manipulation, burning need for a record at all costs, a rotor that defeats itself, a theory not supported by any paper, peer-reviewed or not. etc etc.
It is only TAD's myopic ambition that keeps them afloat.
I think the quoted post clearly demonstrates two things:
1. Humber's claims of being some kind of expert, indeed, his claims of having any idea what he's talking about on any matter related to physics are completely discredited.
2. Humber has demonstrated very nicely for us that he will never, ever, admit he is wrong. No matter how silly his assertion, he will concoct increasingly bizarre assertions in a futile effort to defend it.