I know some FEers (Dogplatter especially) have been frustrated by the confusion between Flat Earth Theory (FET) and the version of it proposed by Tom Bishop (hereafter called TFET). Tom has been known to make very outlandish claims regarding the Flat Earth, and I thought I'd post some of them here in Q&C so that Flat Earthers (no REers please, unless you definitely know what you're talking about) can make clear which of Tom Bishop's various statements are not endorsed by the FES as a whole. I thought this might be helpful as it is difficult for newbies (and oldies, on occasion) to differ between FE canon and something Tom has just made up, simply because he is the most frequent FE poster on Flat Earth D&D.
Here goes (Quotations here are used for clarity of structure, but are not verbatim reproductions of Tom's words):
1.The Flat Earth does not rotate
Tom has claimed it both ways, so I'm a little confused which is part of FET.
2.The Earth is a (potentially?) infinite plane
Does FET hold an infinite Earth, a finite one, or an unknown in this area?
3.The Sun 'orbits' at an altitude of 700 miles
Tom stated these a few times in some D&D threads, in response to some posts I made about it. He says Rowbotham's calculations give us this figure...
4.Satellites do exist; they orbit a common barycentre like the Sun, Moon and stars
Tom holds that gravitation by mass exists in FE, but not on Earth. He states satellites are held in space by the gravitational attraction of the various celestial bodies.
5.Most photos from space (not the Apollo 17 ones) are real. They are consistent with FE.
While this has gone largely uncontested by REers as yet, it seems a big step away from the conspiracy-oriented ideas of FET.
6.Those in low Earth Orbit (including commercial space passengers of the future) will see a curved horizon, consistent with FE.
Similar to above.
7.Aircraft flight times in the Southern hemisphere are shortened by 400mph jet streams, or the flights are delayed to compensate.
Also met with incredulity by REers, this doesn't seem like the kind of argument FET would employ.
8.The ice wall is 150ft tall. It was discovered by James Clark Ross.
The ice wall question is a big confusion spot. I know there may not be FET consensus, but is this TFET statement correct in your eyes?
9.The conspiracy does not extend to the RSA, as they do not have experience of higher altitude orbits necessary to observe the difference between FE and RE.
As above with satellites.
There may well be more, but this is all I could think of right now. If anyone would like to add some feel free (as long as they are good/important ones). If Tom feels I have misrepresented him in some way; please correct me. I am confident I can find supporting statements for each one I have listed in the many threads we have discussed them in.
The FAQ does answer some of these, but it's age and brevity make it unclear what parts of the theory have been changed or added to. Tom's additions may or may not be welcome in FET.
I posted this in Q&C because I didn't intend these points to be debated in and of themselves, just that they be distinguished FET from TFET. Thanks for your help.