Nice videos about a non-intuitive physics problem:
Well, if sailing yachts and iceboats can do that easily....
I think the whole confusion comes from the fact that this works more by pushing against the wind rather than being pure wind-driven as one might expect. Going at windspeed you'd have zero thrust from the wind, but this isn't built or geared like that., so you basically have the wheels driving the prop to allow it to go faster before other forces intervene. It's still wind-driven, but it's more efficient.
As I understand it, modern sailing boats are propelled forward by the same effect that generates lift from an airplane's wings...Actually, with a sailboat (I mean a modern Marconi Jib/Mainsail configuration) as you build speed, the apparent angle of the wind shifts.
As I understand it, modern sailing boats are propelled forward by the same effect that generates lift from an airplane's wings...