PROBLEM: You are the pilot of the airplane designated to drop the first atomic bomb in warfare (Hiroshima 1945). The bomb will explode 43 seconds after it is released from your airplane. You must be at least 8 miles from ground zero to survive the atomic blast. Your airplane (B-29) has a maximum speed of 357 miles per hour. Consequently, your airplane can only fly 4.3 miles during the 43 seconds before the explosion. How do you get your airplane clear of the blast area?
ANSWER: You turn around and run away! A 155-degree high speed diving turn allowed the airplane to avoid the blast effect because the bomb (after release) continued at high speed in the original direction of the airplane, on a downward path toward ground zero, thereby providing the extra distance necessary to survive the atomic blast.
