Flying wing and Luck: Difference between pages

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[[de:Glück]] [[pt:Sorte]]

A '''flying wing''' is a type of [[aircraft]] design with no tail, one in which the majority of the fuselage is inside a thickened wing. Since a wing is necessary for any aircraft, removing everything else theoretically results in a design with the lowest possible drag. A modification in which the fuselage is still retained is known as the '''tail-less''' design.

''This article is about good and bad fortune. There is also: [[Luck, Volhynia]], a town in [[Ukraine]], and [[Luck, Wisconsin]], a village in the [[USA]].''

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'''Luck''' may be analysed from three viewpoints: rational, social, and spiritual.

==Rational viewpoint==

[[image:flying.wing.arp.750pix.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Northrop YB-49 flying wing. Click on the magnifier for more information.]]

As related to the occurrences of actual events considered to be of low [[probability]] in a [[mathematics|mathematical]] or [[statistics|statistical]] sense. A [[rationalist]] approach would lead to the conclusion that such matters as whether or not someone bore a victim ill will would have no bearing upon (for example) that person being hit by a loose brick falling from a decrepit building. It was only due to a remote statistical probability that the brick's four [[Dimension|dimensional]] [[Spacetime|space-time]] path intercepted the 4D path of the victim's head (this was an actual occurrence in [[San Francisco]]). In a case like this both rationalists and spiritualists would likely say that the victim was ''unlucky''. In an example of good luck, a person winning a [[lottery]] would generally be considered lucky, although a rationalist might point out that there was bound to be a winner sooner or later, and there was actually nothing lucky about ''someone'' winning - it was merely a [[probability|probabilistic]] event. It is doubful that the winner would agree with that analysis, however.

In traditional aircraft designs, the wing is located such that the weight of the plane is just forward of the [[center of pressure]], the point where all of the lift on the plane balances out. This gives the plane a nose-down tendency. To counteract this, small control surfaces are placed at the end of a long tail which pull down, thereby lifting the nose back up. The basic idea is that the plane can "fly itself" to some degree; by reducing power, and thus lift, the nose naturally lowers itself and the plane starts to descend.

==Social viewpoint==

This system, while simple and safe, has several drawbacks. Locating the control surfaces at the end of the tail means that the plane is longer than it "needs" to be, and much of this extended fuselage cannot carry a load due to balance considerations. Moreover the control surfaces' mere existence causes drag on the plane, lowering its performance. But the biggest problem is that these surfaces are pushing down on the plane, in effect making it weigh more. This ''trim drag'' requires extra engine power in order to provide extra lift over and above the "dry weight" of the plane.

As a [[Society|social]] phenomenon, there is much truth in the saying "what goes around, comes around" (see [[karma]]). On the one hand, those who are kind and generous to others are usually perceived as open and accepting and so more likely to be freely offered assistance from others. They are also more likely to also be able to ask for and receive help from others in time of need. On the other hand, those who are asocial or anti-social are less likely ask for assistance or to be offered assistance by others. The open, generous and cheerful person is more likely to be classified by others as lucky, while the curmudgeon is more likely to be considered by others or to consider him/her self unlucky.

The same general arrangement, load in front and controls in back of the center of pressure, can be had in another fashion, by bending the wing to the rear. In this case some of the wing is in front and some in back of the center of pressure, and the stability works the same as with external controls. Yet, there are no external controls, and therefore decreased drag and weight. In many situations this can dramatically reduce the overall drag of the plane.

==Supernatural viewpoint==

The only disadvantage to this design is that in order to be a useful fuselage, the wing must be thicker than normal. At low speeds this is not a concern, but as the speed of the aircraft approaches the [[speed of sound]] a new drag effect appears, one that is based on the relative thickness of the wing. For this reason the flying wing is not appropriate for high-speed aircraft, where the drag is likely to be higher than conventional designs. In addition a number of new stability problems also appear at high speed, notably [[mach tuck]], which the design has a much harder time dealing with.

There is also sometimes considered to be a [[supernatural]] bias towards experiencing events of good or ill fortune. In this sense some believe that one's own or another's good or bad luck can be influenced through spiritual means or by performing certain rituals or by avoiding certain (from a rational viewpoint non-relevant) situations. [[Voodoo]] is a religious practice in which this belief is particularly strong, although many cultures worldwide place a strong emphasis on a person's ability to influence their luckiness by ritualistic means. This often involves proper respect for spirits, believed to inhabit a ___location prior to human occupation. In some cultures, if one builds a house on a property it is respectful to provide a small [[spirit house]] for their habitation. In other cultures, a building may be interrupted by a passageway to allow the flow of spiritual energy - the ___location being determined by an expert in such matters. In such cultures, ignoring such matters is believed to lead to misfortune - ''bad luck''. In this context there is also the concept of "purpose" to events ascribed to luck, good or bad.

==Effects of viewpoint and beliefs==

For this reason the design was studied almost entirely in the 1930s and 1940s, where it was seen as a natural solution to the problem of building an [[airliner]] large enough to carry a reasonable passenger load and enough fuel to cross the [[Atlantic Ocean|Atlantic]] in regular service. The flying wing's large internal volume and low drag made it "a natural" for this role, and was studied in depth by [[Jack Northrop]] in the [[United States]], and [[Alexander Lippisch]] and the [[Horten brothers]] in [[Germany]], where [[Hugo Junkers]] had in 1910 patented a wing-only glider concept.

The belief in luck as a supernatural phenomenon is generally regarded by rationalists as a form of [[magical thinking]]. However, there is evidence that people who believe themselves to have '''good luck''' are more able to take advantage of fortunate chance events in their lives, and to compensate for unfortunate chance events in their lives, than people who believe that they have '''bad luck'''. This appears to be the result of [[positive thinking]] altering their responses to these events. A belief in luck can also indicate a belief in an external [[locus of control]] for events in their life and so escape from personal responsibility.

Some philosophers argue that we each "create our own reality", literally and not metaphorically, and in that context what appears to be good luck can be interpreted as having beliefs that encourage or create what are putatively good outcomes.

Junkers started work in 1919 on his "Giant" JG1 design, intended to seat passengers within thick wings, but in 1921 the Allied Aeronautical Commission of Control ordered the incomplete JG1 destroyed for exceeding post-war size limits on German aeroplanes. Junkers conceived futuristic flying wings for up to 1,000 passengers; the nearest this came to realisation was in the 1931 [[Junkers G-38]] 34-seater ''Grossflugzeug'' airliner, which seated passengers in cabins inside the leading edge of the inboard wing panels. One G-38 entered service with Lufthansa; it was later put to military use until being destroyed in 1941. Several late-war German military designs were based on the flying wing, or modifications of it, in order to extend the range of the otherwise very short-range [[jet engine]]d aircraft. Most famous of these would be the [[Gotha Go 229]] fighter.

===Risky lifestyles===

After the war a number of experimental designs were based on the [[planform]] but the problems soon became evident. Some general interest remained until the early 1950s in order to extend the range of [[bomber]]s, culminating in the [[Northrop B-49]], which did not enter production. Even the flying wing design could not make up for the fuel use, and much larger conventional aircraft like the [[Boeing B-52]] were built instead.

Often those who ascribe their travails to "bad luck" will be found upon close examination to be living [[Risk|risky]] [[Lifestyle|lifestyles]]. For example: a drunk driver may ascribe their arrest to the bad luck of being observed by a patrolman, or the bad luck of being involved in a traffic accident (perhaps not even the victim's fault), as a way of avoiding personal responsibility for his/her actions.

===Positive outlook===

Interest was renewed in the 1980s as a way of designing an aircraft with the fewest possible parts to show up on [[radar]], which eventually led to the [[Northrop]] [[B-2]] ''Spirit'' [[stealth]] bomber. In this case the aerodynamic advantages of the flying wing are not the important issues.

On the other hand, people who consider themselves "lucky" in having good health may be actually reaping the benefits of a cheerful outlook and satisfying social relationships, both of which are well known [[statistics|statistically]] to be protective against many stress-related diseases.

===Effects===

The design still remains at its best in the slow-to-medium speed range, and there has been continual interest in using it as a tactical [[airlift]]er design. [[Boeing]] continues to work on paper projects for a Lockheed [[C-130 Hercules]] sized transport with better range and about 1/3rd more load. A number of companies, including [[McDonnell Douglas]] and [[de Havilland]] did considerable design work on flying-wing [[airliner]]s, but to date none have entered production.

If "good" and "bad" events occur at random to everyone, believers in good luck will experience a net gain in their fortunes, and vice versa for believers in bad luck. This is clearly likely to be self-reinforcing. Thus, although untrue, a belief in good luck may actually be an adaptive [[meme]].

The [[gambler's fallacy]] and [[inverse gambler's fallacy]] are both related to belief in luck.

==Numerology==

Most cultures consider some [[numerology|numbers]] to be lucky or unlucky. This is found to be particularly strong in Asian cultures, where the obtaining of "lucky" [[telephone number]]s, automobile [[license plate]] numbers, and [[address (geography)|household addresses]] are actively sought, sometimes at great [[Money|monetary]] expense.

==Sayings==

Popular sayings and quotations related to luck:

* "Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity" -

* "You make your own luck" -

* "When it rains, it pours" - this is an expression of the mathematical property of statistically independent events to bunch together.

* "Bad things happen in threes" - see above

* "Luck is the residue of design" - [[Branch Rickey]]

* When something happens by "sheer dumb luck", it is considered to have happened unintentionally and without planning.

* "Luck doesn't exist." There are more variations on this phrase than can be listed here, but not enough to make believers care.

* "Luck be your lady tonight"

* A famous Samuel Goldwyn quote sums up the rationalist view: "The harder I work, the luckier I get". Or an equally famous [[Gary Player]] quote "The harder I practise, the luckier I get".

* [[Knocking on wood]], spoken expression used as a [[charm]] to bring good luck.

* "In my experience, there's no such thing as luck" - [[Obi-Wan Kenobi]].

* "Luck can only get you so far" by Hermione, referring to a "luck potion Felix Felicis" in {{Harry Potter]] (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince)

==Items or events==

Several items or happenings are considered lucky or unlucky.

===Lucky===

*Finding a [[penny]] on heads

*[[Horseshoe]]s

*Four-leaf [[clovers]]

*[[Rabbit]]'s [[feet]]

*[[Ladybug]]s

===Unlucky===

*[[Friday]] the [[13 (number)|13]]th

*The number 13 (Many buildings skipped 13 when numbering their floors for this reason)

*[[Black]] [[cat]] crossing your path

*Stepping on a crack (it breaks the mother of the stepper's back)

*Breaking a [[mirror]] (seven years bad luck)

*Spilling over [[salt]] (but you can get rid of the bad luck by throwing the salt over your left shoulder).

*Putting a hat on a bed

*Opening an [[umbrella]] indoors

*Seeing three butterflies at the same time

*Killing a ladybug

*Walking underneath a [[ladder]]

==Luck in fiction==

*[[Gladstone Gander]], a fictional [[cartoon]] character, is dependent solely upon his good luck.

*[[Joe Btfsplk]], a character in the [[Li'l Abner]] (Little Abner) [[comic strip]] by the cartoonist [[Al Capp]] is not only unlucky, he is shunned by the other characters as they suspect (with good reason) that this bad luck may be [[infection|infectious]].

*In [[Larry Niven|Larry Niven's]] novel ''[[Ringworld]]'', the character [[Teela Brown]] was the incredibly lucky result of a centuries-long breeding program initiated by the alien [[Pierson's Puppeteers]] directed to just such an outcome. The consequence of her state was that she'd led such a charmed and worry-free life that she was emotionally immature and unprepared for "harsh reality."

*In [[Terry Pratchett]]'s ''[[Discworld]]'' series, luck is an [[Anthropomorphism|anthropomorphic personification]] known as the Lady, who, while not a goddess, is powerful enough to be the rival of the god Fate.

*[[Eugene Horowitz]] from [[Hey Arnold]] is known for the bad luck he constantly has, though his [[optimism]] always makes his personality win over it.

*In the [[Harry Potter]] novels, there is a [[potion]], [[Felix Felicis]], which gives its drinker good luck.

*[[Furrball]] the cat in ''[[Tiny Toon Adventures]]'' is a perpetually unfortunate feline, forever suffering mishaps, though frequently it's his own actions (i.e. overwhelming greed) that get him into trouble (not unlike mentor Sylvester the cat).

==See also==

*[[Curse]]

*[[Destiny]]

*[[Evil eye]]

*[[Fate]]

*[[Folk religion]]

*[[Irrationality]]

*[[Magic (paranormal)]]

*[[Probability]]

*[[Statistics]]

*[[Superstition]]