'The Blackbird problem' has been doing the rounds on the internet ever since Derek Muller uploaded a video of the Blackbird (a propeller-attached car that can travel faster than wind downwind) in the Veritasium channel. I have some very specific doubts regarding steady-state velocity while sailing on land, which I was not able to get clarity from any discussion in the PSE on the Blackbird.
- Is the steady-state velocity of a sail car (not Blackbird, no propellers, just a sail and 4 wheels) the same as the wind velocity while traveling downwind?
- Does the Blackbird experience aerodynamic drag while traveling slower than the wind downwind? Or is it like 'the drag comes into play only after the Blackbird's velocity becomes higher than the wind speed'?
- The Blackbird owners claim that their vehicle traveled 2.8 times faster than the wind downwind. Is this 2.8v the steady-state velocity of the Blackbird downwind in that particular instance? (v is the velocity of wind)