When was Superman first unequivocally depicted as flying in a comic book? 4 4

[Axe Elf]

On 6/20/2022 at 3:03 PM, kav said:

I'm out.

Good plan!

EDIT:  Sorry, that was unnecessary.  Just got caught up in the snappy repartee there for a minute.

Edited June 20, 2022 by Axe Elf

[ADAMANTIUM]

On 6/20/2022 at 3:01 PM, shadroch said:

Superman obviously hangs out on the tallest spot in Metropolis( Daily Planet building?) so he can watch the city like a hawk and swoop in as needed..

a lot of smoke breaks.

[Stronguy]

On 6/20/2022 at 2:52 PM, Axe Elf said:

On 6/20/2022 at 2:50 PM, kav said:

yes without a parachute.  as I said, skydivers can swoop laterally for quite a distance before they pull the cord.

I don't believe you.

I don't believe a skydiver can travel in a horizontal line, parallel to the earth, 50 feet above the ground, before they pull the cord.

I don't believe it's possible to travel more than a 1:1 ratio without a squirrel suit (or something similar) and you need to be at near terminal velocity then flare hard.  Then it's a progressive sweep, not a sudden turn. 

So let's say Superman is in a freefall, he would need to start his turn about 100 feet off the ground to, getting to a 45 degree angle (1:1) and "swoop" in.

[ADAMANTIUM]

On 6/20/2022 at 3:07 PM, Stronguy said:

I don't believe it's possible to travel more than a 1:1 ratio without a squirrel suit (or something similar) and you need to be at near terminal velocity then flare hard.  Then it's a progressive sweep, not a sudden turn. 

So let's say Superman is in a freefall, he would need to start his turn about 100 feet off the ground to, getting to a 45 degree angle (1:1) and "swoop" in.

I'd say account for wind or at least wind resistance, and I think that would be "harder" between buildings, that close to the ground?

Just an estimation  

[Axe Elf]

On 6/20/2022 at 3:07 PM, Stronguy said:

I don't believe it's possible to travel more than a 1:1 ratio without a squirrel suit (or something similar) and you need to be at near terminal velocity then flare hard.  Then it's a progressive sweep, not a sudden turn. 

So let's say Superman is in a freefall, he would need to start his turn about 100 feet off the ground to, getting to a 45 degree angle (1:1) and "swoop" in.

Even to get to a 1:1 ratio would require horizontal movement at basically 1g of acceleration (accounting for terminal velocity).  I would be a little surprised if an unassisted human body could create enough "flare" to generate that kind of horizontal acceleration out of its vertical momentum, but then I'm no skydiver.

Seems to me that unassisted skydiver "swoops" would be more like 100 feet of fall for 10 feet of horizonal "swooping" or so, but I haven't run the numbers.

Edited June 20, 2022 by Axe Elf

[Stronguy]

On 6/20/2022 at 3:01 PM, shadroch said:

Superman obviously hangs out on the tallest spot in Metropolis( Daily Planet building?) so he can watch the city like a hawk and swoop in as needed..

There's one panel where he's just jumping around hoping to see some criminal activity.  Seems plausible to me since every time he lands he hits hard enough to derail a cable car (which he did in an earlier issue).  This begs the question, just what are all the buildings made of so they can, 1) not crumble under the force it takes to let a man spring off it and get hundreds of feet in the air, and 2) not shatter when he hits them (see the part about derailing a cable car).

[kav]

On 6/20/2022 at 1:11 PM, Stronguy said:

There's one panel where he's just jumping around hoping to see some criminal activity.  Seems plausible to me since every time he lands he hits hard enough to derail a cable car (which he did in an earlier issue).  This begs the question, just what are all the buildings made of so they can, 1) not crumble under the force it takes to let a man spring off it and get hundreds of feet in the air, and 2) not shatter when he hits them (see the part about derailing a cable car).

he's basically a human bullet going around wrecking stuff.

[Stronguy]

On 6/20/2022 at 3:10 PM, Axe Elf said:

Even to get to a 1:1 ratio would require horizontal movement at basically 1g of acceleration (accounting for terminal velocity).  I would be a little surprised if an unassisted human body could create enough "flare" to generate that kind of horizontal acceleration out of its vertical momentum, but then I'm no skydiver.

Someone as strong as Superman could do it  ... but he can't overcome the laws of physics to exceed it without either the super power to control his descent or some sort of squirrel suit.

[Axe Elf]

On 6/20/2022 at 3:15 PM, Stronguy said:

Someone as strong as Superman could do it

I don't think strength would be a factor in the equation at that point; it's all about the amount of surface area he can put to use against the air resistance as he falls, relative to his weight.

Unless you're suggesting that Superman can somehow "punch the air" with enough force to alter his trajectory, or maybe flex his muscles to such a degree as to significantly increase his surface area to more greatly influence his trajectory; otherwise strength will be about as useful as X-ray vision in changing his flight path.

[Gonzimodo]

On 6/20/2022 at 4:15 PM, Stronguy said:

Someone as strong as Superman could do it  ... but he can't overcome the laws of physics to exceed it without either the super power to control his descent or some sort of squirrel suit.

It's the cape. 

[Stronguy]

On 6/20/2022 at 3:19 PM, Axe Elf said:

I don't think strength would be a factor in the equation at that point; it's all about the amount of surface area he can put to use against the air resistance as he falls, relative to his weight.

Unless you're suggesting that Superman can somehow "punch the air" with enough force to alter his trajectory, or maybe flex his muscles to such a degree as to significantly increase his surface area to more greatly influence his trajectory; otherwise strength will be about as useful as X-ray vision in changing his flight path.

He could flex enough to keep his body from bending, giving himself the maximum drag.  He's Superman for crying out loud.  He is also going to leave a huge trench in the ground when he hits at 125 mph vertical velocity AND 125 mph horizontal velocity.

[kav]

On 6/20/2022 at 1:29 PM, Stronguy said:

He could flex enough to keep his body from bending, giving himself the maximum drag.  He's Superman for crying out loud.  He is also going to leave a huge trench in the ground when he hits at 125 mph vertical velocity AND 125 mph horizontal velocity.

dont forget he can flap his arms at super speed.  this will give 'im some lift.  

[Stronguy]

On 6/20/2022 at 3:25 PM, Gonzimodo said:

It's the cape. 

The cape will only create vertical drag unless he grabs it like a parachute.

[Stronguy]

On 6/20/2022 at 3:30 PM, kav said:

dont forget he can flap his arms at super speed.  this will give 'im some lift.  

Yup... and super breath... that's gotta give him some push.

[kav]

On 6/20/2022 at 1:31 PM, Stronguy said:

Yup... and super breath... that's gotta give him some push.

he can flap his legs too.  maybe even a super yell could cause a sound wave.

[ADAMANTIUM]

I've never met a a thread that made me want to be more like superman!

Why should thors hammer get all the destruction....

 

 

[kav]

when superman lost his powers in worlds finest 178 he could swoop around with his special Da Vinciu cape.

[kav]

whenever superman lost his powers he did dumb stuff like try to fight normal when his fortress is loaded up with legion flight rings, force field belts, an array of beam weapons-
stupid.

[kav]

hell he could just be phantom zone man and perject criminals into the phantom zone.

[Gonzimodo]

On 6/20/2022 at 4:30 PM, Stronguy said:

The cape will only create vertical drag unless he grabs it like a parachute.

Yeah, that's what I was getting at.  He grabs the edges and uses it like a parachute or squirrel suit...  and then releases it right before the images in the comics, which is why we never see him do it until that panel Kav showed above.