Ooops! My face is red. There's a reason I didn't get past freshman engineering (went on to get a BS in Marketing, but I repeat myself). I was thinking about it (lost in thought, it was unfamiliar territory) and common sense intruded as it occurred to me that less dense media = less resistence, so why would it be slower, higher?
We obviously have some airplane fanciers in our ranks. Some of y'all have mentioned some great aircraft museums, I'd like to add the Smithsonian's Paul Garber Restoration Facility in Silver Hill MD. As the name implies, it's where the National Air & Space Museum's exhibits are restored and prepped, and they've got twice as much stuff on exhibit as the main musem on the mall.
It's free, but its a good idea to call ahead for a time, as they try to keep teh groups small. The guides are all voluteers (and often of the same vintage as the aircraft - very knowledgable), as are the restorers. The best time to go is Spring or Fall, as they don't have heat or a/c.
I was there a while back when an older guy in our group took a particular interest in an F4U Corsair. He had his head up in the port side wheel well (did I mention you can get real close to the exhibits -), popped out and annouced that that was the plane he flew in the Pacific during the war. The guide scurried off & made a call, and a few minutes later a bunch of the staff showed up with a bottle of champaigne, a camera, and a magic marker. They had a little ceremony with him signing the wheel flap, then they put him in the cockpit, took pictures, let him tell a few stories, and generally made a medium-large fuss over him. It was really nice. At any rate, if you're in town and have teh time, it's a great place to visit. M2
