Critical analysis of the Critical analysis of the

claim
of propeller-assisted straight-downwind
land sailing faster than the wind

Alexander Kusenko
(UCLA and Kavli IPMU)
June 9, updated June 1.
And Derek Muller, June 21, 2021
Possible explanation of what is seen in the Veritasium
video
The Veritasium video:
https://youtu.be/jyQwgBAaBag

● In a variable wind, the car accelerates during a gust, then moves by

inertia and decelerates when the wind decreases. For a limited
time, the car moves faster than the wind, while its acceleration is
negative (a < 0, v ≠ const). We will see that sustained motion faster
than wind with v=const (a=0) is not possible.
● Wind speed depends on the height above the ground. The wind at
the level of the propeller can be faster than the wind at the level of
the telltales (~1.5 m lower) by about ~10-15%. This effect alone
could explain the apparent faster-than-wind motion, but it would
require the car to move as fast as ~(85-90)% of the wind speed,
which is challenging. However, in combination with the time
variability, this can play a role.
Wind gusts and wind gradient
1. I agree that it’s possible a wind gust could get the car going quickly and then when
the gust dies the car would be going faster than the wind for a short time.
2. I agree that wind moves slower close to the ground so it’s possible the telltale could
show an apparent headwind while the wind at prop height is still a tailwind.

While I consider these hypotheses possible explanations for what is observed in the video,
I don’t think they are the best explanation. And I will demonstrate in this document with
experimental evidence and theoretical considerations that they cannot be the complete
explanation. That is, observations and theory rule out these hypotheses as explanations for
the observed dynamics.
Proposed experiment: measure v(t), a(t), windspeed(t)
Measure the following for the entire duration of the run:

● speed of Blackbird v(t)

● acceleration a(t)
● wind speed u(t)

Can be done using speedometer, accelerometer, GPS data…

These measurements were not performed for the runs shown

in the Veritasium video. I was told that these data are
available “for some earlier runs”, but no data was provided to
me, despite my repeated requests.
Blackbird achieves a downwind speed record 2.8x wind
speed
Lucky for Prof. Kusenko, the data for Blackbird’s record-setting downwind run is publicly
available from the North American Land Sailing Association (NALSA) here.

If he had read the NALSA speed record regulations he would know that to be verified as a
record, the craft must accelerate over the 10 second measurement period during which
the record is set:

“Requiring the craft to exit the measurement period 0.2 mph faster than it entered is to assure that the craft is capable of extracting more
than enough energy from the wind sailed through during the measurement period to sustain its speed in that wind strength.”
This data could not be caused by gusts or gradients (speeds in
mph)
During measured 10s, wind speed averaged 10mph, car speed
28mph
"All primary wind speed and direction measurements were made at propeller hub height"
The energy argument: wind loses energy, where does
it go?
The energy contributed by the wind does
work on the propeller, which is connected
to the wheels, doing work on the car,
adding to the work of the force of friction
and slowing the car down.

We will see that, whenever the speed is

assumed to exceed the wind speed, the
acceleration is negative, so the speed
decreases until it drops below the speed of
the wind.

I’ve just shown this is false in experimental data, now I will show why it is also
Veritasium video at 19:00
theoretically incorrect.
The incorrect argument: infinite force for v→wind
V = car speed
Why unphysical
W = wind speed result?
Fp = thrust What is missing?
Ft = drag
𝜼i = efficiency (0<𝜼i<1)
assumed: V>W

The net force increases indefinitely (division by zero)

when the car moves close to the wind speed!
Fnet→∞, when V→W
[1] Md. Sadak Ali Khan, et al, “Analysis of Down-Wind Propeller Vehicle”,
International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, 3, 4. (2013) http://www.ijsrp.org/research-paper-0413/ijsrp-p16135.pdf
[2] M. Drela, "Dead-Downwind Faster Than The Wind (DFTTW) Analysis", unpublished
https://www.blueplanettimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Drela-DDWFTTW-Analysis.pdf
[3] Presentation by Rick Cavallaro (from 54:47 until 59:00) https://youtu.be/X6oJpnSJyV8?t=3287
Prof. Kusenko’s main concern is V-W term appearing in
denominator
Implying force goes
Mark Drela, Aero-Astro to atinfinity
professor atanV=W
MIT, wrote analysis of boats or wheeled vehicles
going directly downwind faster than the wind in 2009.

It includes the following equation which appears to suggest Fnet -> ∞ at V=W

But if you read a little further, you find “V −W and ηp are both close to zero near the static-thrust condition,
and their ratio is crucial. To resolve this problem, the air prop efficiency is broken down into a viscous (profile-drag)
efficiency ηv, and an inviscid (or induced) efficiency η i taken from actuator-disk theory.”
No infinities
Once you make the appropriate substitutions, there is no longer a divide-by-zero problem.

The only reason you might think this analysis implied infinite force is if you didn’t read
the paper carefully and you wanted to find a problem with it.
But we still have Prof. Kusenko’s analysis, so what is
wrong with it?
 incorrect
The correct physics
The power delivered to the propeller

v = speed of the car; 𝜼 = efficiency

1. Pcar= the power imparted to the car

2. Pair= the power imparted to the air;
u1 and u2 are the wind speeds behind and in front of the propeller, respectively
The problem is here

(see, e.g., “Thermodynamics and Propulsion” by Z. S. Spakovszky

https://web.mit.edu/16.unified/www/FALL/thermodynamics/notes/node86.html )
The problem with Prof. Kusenko’s analysis
When calculating the power imparted to the air, he has:

This is fine when v < w

The air comes from behind the prop and slows down as it passes through the prop disk. So
u2 is less than u1 and power imparted to the air is negative.
The problem with Prof. Kusenko’s analysis
But when v > w now the air is coming from in
front of the prop, again slowing down as it passes
through the prop disk and it ends up behind the
prop. So now the final state is u1 and the initial
state is u2. To find the power imparted to the air,
you have to subtract final minus initial so the
equation should be

As shown in the video, u1 is less than u2, so again

the power imparted to the air is negative.
The correct answer is well established
There was a question about
Blackbird on the US Physics
Olympiad semifinal exam in
2013 (p. 10)
The correct answer is well established
They have a very elegant solution which concludes both downwind and upwind steady
state velocities faster than wind speed are possible. In fact there is no theoretical max
speed as long as drag and inefficiencies can be made arbitrarily small.
The correct answer is well established
The author of the solution is apparently surprised this problem is still the subject of
serious debate. He posted on reddit:

Btw there’s also a German physics olympiad question on Blackbird.

Let’s summarize the evidence.
Blackbird reliably exceeds the wind speed.

GPS and anemometer data show it continues accelerating when v > w. In fact it can
achieve speeds much higher than the wind ever reaches in gusts.

Treadmill models show the same behaviour - they accelerate in still air on a treadmill,
and they can also go up hill.

There’s a complete theoretical description of the behaviour by MIT Astro-Aero Prof.

Mark Drela (with no divide-by-zero problems).

There was a problem on the 2013 US Physics Olympiad with an elegant solution
showing the physics is possible as described.
The end