HOW HAZARDOUS IS A FLYING BROOMSTICK?

When it comes to personalized transport, muggles have it made. We’ve got skateboards, roller skates, segways, bicycles, motorcycles, cars, microlights, and even jet packs. Despite all this variety, we still haven’t opted for a mode of transport that resembles anything close to a broomstick. Not surprising really, considering they look like the equivalent of riding a bike with the handlebars, seat post, and seat missing.

At first glance, you might think that riding a broomstick is one of the most uncomfortable aspects of a wizard’s regimen. Not so. To avoid any posterior problems, they make use of a cushioning charm, which essentially provides a magical replacement for a seat.

Although, this solution may not have gone down well with the muggle versions of witches, who are said to ride their brooms as a way to administer psychoactive potions via their private parts. Rather than flying while under the influence, these witches would have been flying because of the influence. Putting aside thoughts of saddle sores and high flyers, what hazards, if any, could broomsticks present as a mode of everyday transport?

Flight of Fancy

The notion of witches flying on brooms is more than 500 years old now. They weren’t always depicted as flying with the bristles behind them either. Some witches flew with the bristles in front of them, similar to how a hobby horse is used. Just to clear things up from the start, an ordinary broomstick can’t be used to shuttle a person through the air. Nothing about its shape, materials, or design give any impression that a broom would make a good flying device.

Traditional brooms, called besoms, consisted of a sturdy wooden pole with a bunch of twigs attached for sweeping. These twigs were often obtained from a shrub called broom (Cytisus scoparius), which is where our use of the word broom likely came from. Back then the broom twigs were mostly arranged in a cone shape, but from around 1800 broomcorn (Sorghum bicolor) bristles became popular, especially in America. These also tended to be formed into a flattened cone, particularly with a machine called a Shaker broom vise.

In Potter, the broomstick tails are made from the twigs of trees such as birch or hazel. On J.K. Rowling’s Pottermore website it says that the “birch is reputed to give more ‘oomph’ in high ascents, whereas hazel is preferred by those who prefer hair-trigger steering”. One seems to provide more power while the other provides more responsive turning. Using muggle technology, the only long and thin flying machines capable of these attributes are missiles and rockets.

A rocket is powered by the combustion of fuel with oxygen in its engine. The hot gases that are created are exhausted from the tail of the rocket. As the gases are ejected rearwards, they push back on the rocket in what’s called an equal and opposite reaction. This propels the rocket forward. A rocket powered broom wouldn’t make the best vehicle though. It wouldn’t be able to fly horizontally with the weight of a person on it, unless its lift is generated some other way. Also, it would travel at break neck speeds while spewing raging hot flames from behind. Definitely a safety hazard.

One top of the range broomstick, the Firebolt, is described as, “The state-of-the-art racing broom. The Firebolt has unsurpassable balance and pinpoint precision. Aerodynamic perfection.” It’s also said to go from 0 to 150 mph in 10 seconds, which is about the same acceleration as a BMW S1000RR motorcycle.

At high speeds, motorcyclists tuck in to present as small a form to the oncoming air, and therefore reduce the aerodynamic resistance, or drag, on their body. This would likely be necessary on a broomstick too, where the rider appears to be fully exposed to any oncoming air. In fact, in comparison to the drag already present on the rider, the shape or aerodynamics of the broom wouldn’t make the biggest difference, unless it has a charm that helps to shield the rider from any unwanted aerodynamic effects.

A nonmagical equivalent of that shield can be seen on motorcycles, where riders have an aerodynamic windshield that they can tuck behind as they approach significant speeds. For added safety they are also decked from top to toe in protective gear, something that only seems to be partly present on Quidditch players.

Keeping on Top of Things

Anyone who’s ever tried to ride a bike will know that the first thing you have to learn is how to stay on the thing in the first place. It’s not enough to just sit on it; a bike can only stay upright if it’s in motion or if it has someone on it who is particularly skilled at keeping balanced. However, the ground offers some support so the rider just has to put their foot down to stop the bike from tipping to the left or right, as bicycles lack lateral stability. What about a broomstick?

The main difference is that a broomstick appears to be suspended in midair where it is free to rotate in all directions. It can rotate left and right (called yaw), up and down (called pitch), or roll to the left and right. Without anything to support it, the broomstick would be rather unstable, requiring a great deal of balancing skill from the rider. But seeing as Neville Longbottom was able to maintain balance on his first broom ride (granted, it was a hazardous experience), there must be something inherent in the broomstick to aid in balancing, such as some particular charm or other magical effect. For example, the Firebolt broomstick is described as having “goblin-made ironwork (including footrests, stand, and twig bands) … which seem to give the Firebolt additional stability and power in adverse weather conditions.”

Built-in stability isn’t just a magical invention though. Muggles have built a variety of machines that have that ability, but instead of a magical charm, muggles have instead made use of computer programming. A prime example is the personal transportation device called the Segway, which has the ability to keep itself balanced with or without a rider. It does so with the help of complex programming embedded within its components. Pretty much scientific magic.

So, in some ways a broomstick can be likened to technologies present in bicycles and Segways. The broomstick is mounted in a similar way to a bicycle whilst having the ability to keep itself upright and balanced, like a Segway. However, despite any inbuilt stability, it’s still necessary for riders to keep themselves balanced on the vehicle while in transit. Any humps, bumps, or sudden changes in speed or direction could throw a rider off their mount, especially at higher speeds. Of course, there’s also the possibility that your vehicle may have been sabotaged or even “broom jinxed.”

What’s the Worst That Could Happen?

The consequences of losing control generally become more severe at higher speeds. If you’re not directly injured from a high-speed collision with a person, wall, or rogue bludger, the resulting impact with the ground will surely give you something to think about. Although, as the saying goes, it’s not the fall that’ll kill you. It’s the sudden stop.

For muggles, personal vehicles don’t only pose a risk to the person piloting them. For example, in 2015, 70,000 US pedestrians were injured and 5,376 lost their lives as a result of motor vehicle crashes. And in Britain from 2011 to 2015, cyclists were involved in around 1 percent of pedestrian fatalities. It pays to remember that nearly all vehicles can become dangerous weapons when up against the vulnerability of the human body. Again, the faster or bigger the vehicle, the more potentially life threatening the consequences can be.

Surely a broomstick wouldn’t cause a great deal of harm though. What specific dangers could they pose? Well, staying well clear of urban legends about deaths by broomstick, there was a case in 1888 in South Wales, UK. It involved an argument between two ladies in which a broomstick was thrown in temper, instantly killing the victim. The post mortem determined that she had suffered a fracture to the base of her skull. The offender was subsequently found guilty of ‘throwing a broomstick with provocation’.

Then, in 1901, Los Angeles, a young girl was impaled by a broomstick. She was playing on a haystack with some friends and fell off, landing on the upturned broom and ending up with nearly a foot of it penetrating her abdomen. The report said the accident would probably cause her death, but regardless of the outcome, it just goes to show how dangerous a broomstick can be.

Seen in this way, a game of Quidditch could be fatal, although it’s been stated by J.K. Rowling that people rarely die playing the game. There is a part in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets where Harry Potter is chased by a “rogue bludger”. In the movie version, we saw him swoop through the screaming crowd while they ducked out of the way. Judging by the damage a broomstick can cause when someone falls on it, the potential outcome of this chase could have been catastrophic.

Having said all this, wizards have powerful spells that can instantly heal many unfortunate injuries. In the muggle world, doctors are equally as amazing although the healing takes a lot longer. One man had a broomstick pierce through his cheek and down into his collarbone. Although scarred, he is currently alive, well, and cheerfully recounting his tale.

Safety Hazard?

So, assuming that muggles could get a broomstick to fly, we’d have to make sure the propulsion method wasn’t a hazard in itself. For example, rockets are a no-go. And regardless of any potential internal stability it may have, the rider would need a good ability to balance on the stick, including a good grip to avoid falling to their death. Air resistance would also be a battle, so they would need to adopt a good aerodynamic posture to appear more streamlined when travelling at speed.

In case of losing control of the broomstick, there would need to be safety measures in place to protect anyone from getting impaled by it. This could be something like armor for anyone in the vicinity (like spectators at a Quidditch match). Even better, there could be a dead man’s switch to automatically stop the broom in case a rider somehow loses control or falls from the broom. In any case, it appears that flying broomsticks would be very hazardous indeed.

Something to think about if you’re ever offered a front row seat at a Quidditch match.