Does Michigan really look like a mitten from the air?

never Question: flown Living past the in Michigan, entire state. I’ve Can you see the outline of the mitten from the air at normal cruising altitude?

— Drew Henderson, East Lansing

Answer: On a very clear day, you can see much of the Michigan “mitten” from cruising altitude.

Q: Does the moon affect turbulence as it does with tides?

— Wendy Lyall, South Africa A: No, moon phase does not affect turbulence.

Q: How do you control the plane? Is it like a horse?

— Jamie, Elkins (no state given)

A: You control the airplane with inputs to the flight controls via the yoke or side stick. It is definitely not like a horse.

Q: A Dutch proposal is to build circular runways to save space. Could pilots accommodate that?

— Lee Copeland, Salt Lake City

A: It may be technically possible, but I have not seen any indication of interest by airports. Having a circular runway would create some unique performance problems.

I have seen the Dutch proposal but not much activity in the industry.

Q: If you are traveling at the speed of light, would your headlights work?

— Shirley, Ariz.

A: They would work, but the question is could you see them? This is a wonderful hypothetical that is posed frequently in university physics classes.