Superman is back in the air and that has us all thinking about flying. When asked, many people name flight as the one superpower they would love to have. That dream makes a lot of sense. To soar in the sky like a bird, or a plane, or a Superman just seems like fantastic fun. Plus, it is a tremendously convenient ability. Superman himself quickly shifted from leaping tall buildings in a single bound to flight because it just made his job that much easier.
Flight has its problems though. Way back in 2011, the Nerd Factor started pointing out problems with this beloved superpower. I wrote that when flying one crucial problem is that it is hard to know where you are:
“The problem with soaring though is it’s easy to get lost. Next time you’re in the middle of a plane flight, look out the window and try to tell where you are. Chances are you’ll get the continent right anyway. You’re going to have to make like Marvel hero Starbrand and follow the roads. Your GPS won’t do much better. It follows roads too and you can’t program “Doctor Octopus’ Lair” without a street address. Finally, you’ll be up in the air with a lot of other things. They’re licensed or monitored though, so you can look forward to some talks with Homeland Security and the FAA.”
This may be a surmountable problem, as long as a flyer does not go too high up in the sky. But there are other problems too, namely takeoffs and landings.
Takeoffs are really just a matter of making sure nothing is in your way. Superman doesn’t do it too much anymore, but he used to shout “Up, up, and away!” and then off he’d go. Maybe he was showing off or maybe he wanted to sound cool. More likely it was just a nice way to say “Hey, I’m taking off here!.”
The need for secrecy complicates matters a bit though. You don’t have to be a superhero protecting a secret identity to want a little privacy. If people knew you could fly, they would be bugging you constantly for flights. Can you take them home this weekend? Can you just fly them up in the air because it looks so cool? Can you get them from the dorm to class? Even well-meaning grounded friends are going to be a pain so you are going to have to find a discrete place to quickly shoot straight up in the air. I am not sure where that is on campus. The woods perhaps? Or over by the drained lake? That seems messy though.
These complications are modified by how you fly, of course. Most superheroes just seem to be able to jump and go, flying through intention more than anything else. Marvel Comics used to try to explain this through sci-fi technobabble like “manipulation of gravitons,” as if they were possible.
A few superheroes have noticeable propulsion issues. The Angel has wings. Iron Man flies via repulsor ray propulsion. Thor has to swing his hammer around. Storm has to make, well, storm force winds.
These problems apply to landings too. A plane needs to gradually decelerate onto an airstrip. If that’s how flying works, you’re in trouble. Where are you going to come down? Shellenberger Field? That’s not exactly discrete. Plus, I don’t think the university is going to like it much if you tear up the field or start landing during practices or games. Also, watch out for the scoreboard.
A lot of superheroes just seem to slow to a stop in the air and then drop down. If that’s how you manipulate your gravitons, you should eventually be able to find a safe place to land. Like diving into a swimming pool, you just have to make sure you’re not landing on someone.
