Thread: Suppressors - Am I missing something

Originally Posted by timattalon

And as a final note, the air thrust forward in your cartoon has been shown to actually work. Poorly but with some gain in forward momentum. Mainly due to the same aerodynamic principle that means an anemometer works. The dome shape at the front resists the air less than the shape behind it.

@timattalon,
Yes, blowing into a large sail with a big fan actually can produce a forward drive. I saw that Mythbusters episode, and it was really good they bothered to test it as the result was forward motion of the craft!!! The reason for this apparent miracle is that the sail deflected the blast of the fan sideways and rearwards. I.e. it nevertheless still illustrates an open system, not an enclosed system like a muzzle brake enclosed in a can and unable to ultimately direct blast in other directions than forwards.