Flying with the One Power-- It can be done

[Phil_Megrim]

Alright I've been mulling this around in my head for some time and I've finally come up with an answer to how someone can use the One Power to directly fly.

 

The problem lifting yourself up with simple flows of Air is a physics problem. Similiar to trying to pick up your own feet it cannot be done. However some people may state that using massive flows of Air like a jet propulsion thingy is one way however that too would be very difficult for even the strongest Aes Sedai. Instead you must detach yourself from the Earth's pull of gravity using weaves of Earth and possibly Air. Then all you would have to do is use jets of Air to propell yourself. It all has to do with the connection everything has to the Earth. Remove that connection and you'd be as if you were in space. Course reality says that's impossible but then again what's not impossible to an Aes Sedai nowadays.

[demeroe]

Could not two channelers, working in tandem, make each other fly?

[waltersdc]

I may be new to Dragonmount, but i do not believe you have a solution there. The problem with it is that whatever you create with your flows will still be attracted to the earth by it's gravity. You could propose that making it big enough would negate earths gravitic pull on yourself, but you are back to the afore mentioned gravitic pull between the 2 objects. Although it has merrit. If you can put gravity in the form of positive and negative charges, theoretically you could create a platform with the same "charge" and they should repell each other causing the appearence of flight. However I do not see how it can be done.

 

The "tandem theory" seems to have much simpler and more eaisly attained properties. However there seems to be a requirement that the one doing the lifting is in contact with the ground.

[Cybertrolloc]

This thread have cooties? ;)

 

Easier is to fly like airplanes do, blow air across an object with more surface area on top than bottom. You can try this one at home: take a coin or playing card or something and blow air across the top of it. What happens?

[Phil_Megrim]

I still say it can be done if gravity were negated making you lighter than air then you'd have to use less Air to move with any speed at all

[Angel of Death]

Could not two channelers' date=' working in tandem, make each other fly?[/quote']

 

That's what ive thought ever since Suain said she ahd tried lifting her self, back in (i think it was) tGH.

[Musenge]

Two channelers in tandem can't fly anymore than you and I together can't lift each other up off the ground!

[keravon3]

couldent they just create a holicopter typy contrartion and use the power to spin the roter

[RobertAlexWillis]

Maybe they could for m flows of air into a Wonder Woman style invisible jet ... orrrrrrr maybe travelling is just better anyway.

[KaptainKaos]

If you look at the FAQ section of Dragonmount under the Wheel of Time section this question is asked and answered. No, a channeler of any ability cannot fly. When Moiraine says jokingly to Rand that maybe he will rediscover Flying it is only refering to the Aes Sedai who had the ability to make and run the flying machines of the Age of Legends. As I stated before this info is all available on this site under the FAQ section.

[smashingsilver]

How did Ishy fly in The Dragon Reborn then? He started on the ceiling of the Heart of the Stone and then gradually lowered himself to still be two paces up from the ground. (chapter 55, What is Written in Prophecy)

[Seldy]

Lifting yourself a few meters off the ground with the One Power isn't flying.

 

Maybe when they "flew" in the AoL, they used airplanes. Seems logical enough; they had them back then, and you could undoubtly fly faster in an airplane than by using the one power. Think about air resistance and turbulence. :P

[RobertAlexWillis]

They had a whole range of technology based on the Power, but put to applications that could be used by non-channelers. One was called a sho-wing, and seems to have been a form of aircraft used for transportation in the same way that we use passeneger jets now.

[Kijuri]

If they would go along the technology road they just as well couldhave stolen some raken :roll:

[RobertAlexWillis]

Hey, I'm just the messenger.

[Jedimuppet]

So, if sho-wings were built using the power, and they could fly, doesn't that mean you can fly with the power?

 

J

[RobertAlexWillis]

No. The Power provided thrust, etc., but the Sho-wings were constructs. In this case, compare the Power to an internal combustion engine. It was technology driven by the Power. But the Power by itself cannot be used to make the channeler fly.

 

 

I've wondered though ... if flows of air can form a sword, could they form solid wings? Shaped to take advantage of Bernoulli's principle, and formed around the channeler? And then thrust? That would make the user fly ... hmmmmm. I think part of the problem is related to causing the weave to affect onesself. We know that some weaves cannot (like Healing).

[Jedimuppet]

No. The Power provided thrust, etc., but the Sho-wings were constructs. In this case, compare the Power to an internal combustion engine. It was technology driven by the Power. But the Power by itself cannot be used to make the channeler fly.

 

 

I've wondered though ... if flows of air can form a sword, could they form solid wings? Shaped to take advantage of Bernoulli's principle, and formes around the channeler? And then thrust? That would make the user fly ... hmmmmm. I think part of the problem is related to causing the weave to affect onesself. We know that some weaves cannot (like Healing).

 

Well then, why not use the power to provide thrust/lift for a person, using air to provide some sort of frame?

 

It just doesn't make any sense that you wouldn't be able to fly with the power. I mean if people are trying to offer physics as a reason, then how come there's no recoil from shooting lightning, etc? The reason? It's magic...

J

[RobertAlexWillis]

Well then, why not use the power to provide thrust/lift for a person, using air to provide some sort of frame?

 

Um .... isn't that what I just proposed?

 

I've wondered though ... if flows of air can form a sword, could they form solid wings? Shaped to take advantage of Bernoulli's principle, and formed around the channeler? And then thrust? That would make the user fly ... hmmmmm.

 

 

And disposed ....

 

I think part of the problem is related to causing the weave to affect onesself. We know that some weaves cannot (like Healing).

[Jedimuppet]

Well then, why not use the power to provide thrust/lift for a person, using air to provide some sort of frame?

 

Um .... isn't that what I just proposed?

 

I've wondered though ... if flows of air can form a sword, could they form solid wings? Shaped to take advantage of Bernoulli's principle, and formed around the channeler? And then thrust? That would make the user fly ... hmmmmm.

 

 

And disposed ....

 

I think part of the problem is related to causing the weave to affect onesself. We know that some weaves cannot (like Healing).

 

I suppose it is what you proposed, but you're not weaving on yourself when you shape air around yourself, so I fail to see why it couldn't be done.

J

[RobertAlexWillis]

What would support you in the air? The weaves would have to contact you at some point or you would be left on the ground.

[Jedimuppet]

What would support you in the air? The weaves would have to contact you at some point or you would be left on the ground.

 

No, I don't think so. Why are we getting this accurate in terms of physics with flying, but not with other forms of channeling?

 

Aside from that, if you had thrust and lift, you wouldn't need contact with the ground. I think if you tore apart every power like we're doing with flying, you could rule out everything because on some level it does not conform with the laws of physics.

J

[RobertAlexWillis]

You would not need contact with the ground. Contacting the ground isn't a problem anyway. You would, however, need contact with yourself. Thats the problem.

 

And we're getting this in terms of physics because thats how Jordan treats channeling in the books. Otherwise there would be no question "Can you fly?"

 

Since it was raised and dismissed by a chaneller with long experience (Siuan Sanche) and the people of greater experience and ability in the Age of Legends used technology in combination with the Power to achieve it (Sho-wings), we can conclude that there are fatal problems in trying it with the Power alone.

[Wise One]

Hasnt Jordan effectively said that flying is totally beyond channeling. I think the obvious reason (and one well outside the world) is that flying Aes Sedai would create the kind of problem giant eagles pose to the plot of Lord of the Rings. As for in the world, there are just some things channeling cant do, flying and bringing people back from the dead is one of them.

 

On the Ishamael point, wasnt he in the dreamworld at the time? If so, of course he could fly, as Egwene has proven before, I believe. If he wasnt (if he was in the real world at the time, its been a while since I read TDR), lowering yourself from the ceiling (ie falling slower than normal) isnt the same as being able to rise upwards (flying).

[Jarred Darque]

Ishy wasnt in the dream world. But there is nothing difficult about lifting onesself with the power a few feet. Rand has made invisible bridges, channelers have made platforms. As for Ishy's thing, it is possible he just made a platform and lowered it. Or he could have been using something along the mist of mirrors or whatever illusion it is

 

 

As for teh AOL channelers and flying. I believe taht tehy actaullyhad things like helicopters and would simply turn the rotors, letting them create the lift to fly with.