Lois & Clark Forums Forums General Discussion Lois & Clark Superman and Airplanes

I didn't quite know where to put this but since it probably won't result in a fic, I thought I'd put it here.

I think about this when I'm traveling

Of course we know that Superman can save airplanes in trouble, but what if he were inside the airplane? Could he fly it by pushing on the top of the cabin?

Any opinions, or something that has actually come up in the comics?

Hi!

I am not a offical Superman expert, but I believe he could. I happen to believe that he could do anything. He is the ultimate superhero. I think about being able to use superspeed to do the dishes.

Jen A
p.s. Which super ability do you wish you had? For that matter, would you rather be invisible or be able to fly?

I was actually thinking about Clark being able to lift up the car (no problemo I think) while reading Cheif Pam's new short story.

Invisible or fly. I used to say fly all the time, but now I'm starting to think invsible b/c I love to know what is going on.

That was my exact thought. But then again, wouldn't it be nice to to fly over the traffic sometimes? Its a toss up.

Funnily enough, I have a very, very old WIP on my hd that started out from the premise of Clark being trapped on a plane in trouble and trying to figure out how to stop it crashing without revealing himself as Superman. Not that it's likely to go anywhere, but I'll be curious to see any theories anyone comes up with anyway. Just for old times' sake. <G>

LabRat

Realistically, I would say it is physically impossible (having to due with Newton's 3rd Law of Physics - for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction).

Of course, realistically, none of Superman's powers make sence. If this scenario fits your story, then go for it. I think Jen sums it up best: - Vicki

Vicki, if you mean that the plane is a closed system, so that Clark's pushing from the inside would just be cancelled out, that's not quite true. Clark can fly, by some mysterious means. He's not just pushing against the plane. He's pushing against the earth's gravitational field or something. He's been able to catch planes before. In fact, Superman's introduction almost always involves saving something that can fly (an airplane, a helicopter, the Prometheus, etc), since this shows off his powers to good effect.

My concern would be that by pushing from the inside, he'd rip the plane apart. Tear the roof off, rip his seat out of the floor, something of the sort. The bottom of the plane generally has a lot more structural support, making it more likely that he could safely guide it from underneath. The plane's body is also more able to take stresses from outside than inside.

So, I don't know if he could do it from inside. It might be possible, if you want to say that his aura gave the plane a little extra structual integrity or something, but that's about all I can think of offhand.

Personally, I think his best bet would be to pretend to go nuts. Make his way to the rear exit. Grab a spare seat cushion. Stand near the door. Scream "I can't take it! We're all going to die! Let's see if this thing really can be used as a floatation device!" Then, before anyone can stop him, open the door and jump out. Save the plane as Superman, and explain that Superman caught the panicking Mr. Kent and saw him safely to the ground.

Paul

P.S. The invisible or fly thing -- I read a book years back called "Fade," in which a guy had the power to become invisible, but the more he used it, the more evil he became. It took me a while to get why, but then I realized that invisibility is only useful if you want to get away with something. If you didn't have to worry that it was wrong and you'd get caught, you wouldn't have to be invisible. Assuming you're not about to use your invisibility exclusively on villains, the use of invisibility is basically inherently evil. Flying, on the other hand, is all about freedom.

Actually, that is my point. Although technically impossible, somehow he manages to do it.

- Vicki

Well, Paul, the problem with going out the door is that it would lose air pressure for the rest of the passengers.

What was the movie about the counterfeiter that escaped his plane by going through the toilet (as the plane landed)?

So, Lois and Clark are flying somewhere. To save the plane, Clark goes into the mens room and never comes out. There's a revelation

Well, sure. You'd lose pressure, but it seems a fair trade for the plane not crashing. Also, if the door were closed quickly enough, you wouldn't lose that much air.

Don't see how the toilet is really that good an option. Clark is a tad too big to fit through the pipes. He'd end up having to rip the toilet out of the floor. Not sure how the pipes work from there, but assuming he got past the septic tank, he'd probably end up in the baggage area. That's pressurized, too, since pets are often transported there.

Paul

Catch Me If You Can. I did wonder at that point whether that was a real event or an invented embellishment for the movie - it seemed a tad implausible that he'd be able to do that safely from a still-moving plane. But then truth is stranger than fiction, as they say, so who knows?

LabRat

You're right, Paul. I'd forgotten how FAST the door could be opened and closed. When I was in the exit row last week, the guy next to me asked about a lever the stewardess pulled. She said it was to keep the airfilled slide from being deployed, so that's something else he'd have to worry about.

Labrat, that's the movie. I didn't see all of it but did see the end and it was pretty amazing, the toilet escape. Since it was a true story, it doesn't seem they would make up something that far fetched but then it was a long time before the safeguards we have now.

Not to sound anal (but you know I am going to ) but the problem with opening the door inflight is not that the plane would depressurise but that the plane has a positive pressure inside. On the majority of jets (and there are exceptions) and I would hazard a guess on all large commercial aircraft the exit door must be pulled inward before it is able to be opened outward. The interior air pressure forces the door to act like a 'plug' and can't be opened from the inside while in flight.
Unless there are exceptional circumstances, like, oh I dunno, you are SUPERMAN!!!!!!! Or the plane is depressurised. Hence all those horror plane movies where someone opens the door in flight are bunk.

However if Superman wanted to get off the plane without revealing himself he would have to lower the interior air pressure (causing oxygen masks to fall, the pilots to execute a dirty dive to 10000 ft and incidentally creating an excellent diversion) and then dash to the door to open it.

Okay I reread it. It is anal .

And for my two cents worth I believe he would be able to adjust course and 'fly the plane' from the inside. He is after all, Superman.

PS - Flying - definately flying!!!!