This is an earlier experiment. Read the amendments below before treating its findings as current.
The question
The rule that makes craft match neighbours' speed and direction helps spacing in crowds. Could it stay without braking a wing toward its stall speed?
What was tested
A switch dropping that rule's braking part for a wing, first only near minimum speed, then at any speed. Six layouts: calm, double traffic, walled lanes.
What was found then
The narrow switch cut time at minimum speed by only about a third (25 to 17 % in calm). The widest reached 13 %, about half of what removing the rule achieves, and collisions at double traffic stayed at or below the normal level. The wing that can stall lost 15 % (calm) and 5 % (double traffic) fewer craft, but its survivors flew closer. A recorder pointed at the rule that turns craft onto their lane heading as the remaining brake (measured, not tested).
What we learned later
'Survivors spend twice as long in close calls' was taken back: per survivor it is under 1.2 % of flight time, as more brief brushes.
research/reviews/brief-c34.md
What changed
Nothing. The switch stays off by default.
Corrections retained in the record
Earlier wording: collisions and losses at double traffic stayed exactly at the unmodified level
Record correction: 18.14 vs 17.81 per 1000 km and 5 096 vs 5 088 lost: close, not exact
research/reviews/brief-c32.md
Numbers and source references
- 6
- seedsresearch/reviews/brief-c32.md
- 10 %
- margin above minimum speed for the narrow switchresearch/reviews/brief-c32.md
- 25 → 17 %; 29 → 21 %
- wing floor time, narrow switch, calm / double trafficresearch/reviews/brief-c32.md
- 13 % / 17 %
- floor time, widest switch (13.2 / 16.6)research/reviews/brief-c33.md
- 3.6–8 %
- floor time with the rule fully offresearch/reviews/brief-c32.md
- 15 vs 18
- double-traffic collisions per 1000 km, widest switch vs unmodifiedresearch/reviews/brief-c33.md
- 2 982 → 2 544; 5 174 → 4 909
- stalling-wing craft lost, calm / double trafficresearch/reviews/brief-c33.md