Reuters: Oddly Enough: Batman could fly, but he'd crash and die

Reuters: Oddly Enough Reuters.com is your source for breaking news, business, financial and investing news, including personal finance and stocks. Reuters is the leading global provider of news, financial information and technology solutions to the world's media, financial institutions, businesses and individuals. // via fulltextrssfeed.com

Batman could fly, but he'd crash and die Jul 9th 2012, 18:21 Tweet Share this Email Print Related News Insight: ANC promises ring hollow in home of South Africa greats Sun, Jun 24 2012 Related Topics Entertainment » Fashion » Oddly Enough » Film » Lifestyle » Christian Bale in a scene from ''The Dark Knight Rises''. Credit: Reuters/Ron Phillips/Warner Bros LONDON | Mon Jul 9, 2012 2:21pm EDT LONDON (Reuters) - Holy crash landing Batman! The crime-fighting caped crusader could fly but if he did, he would smash into the ground and probably die, a group of British physics students have calculated. Dashing the dreams of comic fans across the world, four students from the University of Leicester said that while Batman could glide using his cape as he does in the 2005 film "Batman Begins", his landing would almost certainly prove fatal. The superhero is back in cinemas later this month in "The Dark Knight Rises" and they suggested Batman should go shopping before trying a similar attempt to become airborne over Gotham City. "If Batman wanted to survive the flight, he would definitely need a bigger cape," said David Marshall, 22, one of the students in the final year of their four-year Master of Physics degree. "Or if he preferred to keep his style intact he could opt for using active propulsion, such as jets to keep himself aloft." In a paper titled "Trajectory of a falling Batman", the group argued that if he jumped from a 150-metre (492-foot) high building, the 4.7 meter (15-foot) wingspan of Batman's cape would allow him to glide 350 meters (1148 feet). However, he would reach a speed of 68 miles per hour (109 km per hour) before hitting the ground at a life-threatening speed of 50 mph. (Reporting by Michael Holden, editing by Paul Casciato) Tweet this Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/ Comments (1) Wouldn't that only apply to a fix wing? I imagined his cape being more flexible and maneuverable like a bird or bat allowing it to slow their velocity to land safely. Jul 09, 2012 2:43pm EDT  --  Report as abuse See All Comments » Add Your Comment

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