So Long Utah, And Thanks For The Plane That Takes Off.

Does the plane take off?

  • Total voters
    16
shawndavid said:
The only way it would take off from the treadmill would be in the face of, depending on the particular craft, a 150-180+mph wind.
Click to expand...

FAIL.

Riddle me this shawn: Would the plane take off if it was able to simply float above a runway? If you answer yes to this, note that the wheels of a plane are free spinning.
 
A car has tires which are connected to axles powered by an engine. The engine turns the wheels, and friction between the tires and the road surface propels the car forward or backward.

An airplane, on the other hand, does not depend on friction. It's engines produce thrust which powers the craft forward. So regardless how fast or in what direction the wheels are spinning, if the engines are providing thrust the craft will move.

Which still has nothing to do with the fact that MY airplane has motorized wheels, and thus would not take off.
 
Last edited:
Sarcasmo said:
A car has tires which are connected to axles powered by an engine. The engine turns the wheels, and friction between the tires and the road surface propels the car forward or backward.

An airplane, on the other hand, does not depend on friction. It's engines produce thrust which powers the craft forward (or backward). So regardless how fast or in what direction the wheels are spinning, if the engines are providing thrust the craft will move.

Which still has nothing to do with the fact that MY airplane has motorized wheels, and thus would not take off.
Click to expand...

link to planes that go backwards on thrust :p
 
Coqui said:
I thought all planes have backward thrusters. That's how they slow the plane down while landing. :confused:
Click to expand...

that's done by flap, not thrust

think about it...a jet engine spinning 50k of rpm is not suddenly going in reverse ;)

pardon, I stand corrected... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thrust_reverser

edit2: we're both kind of right

Turbojet aircraft

On aircraft using turbojet engines, thrust reversal is accomplished by causing the jet blast to flow forward rather than aft. As the engine is not configured to run (and rotate) in reverse, the thrust reversers block the exhaust flow and redirect it forward. Two methods are commonly used: In the target type of thrust reverser, the reverser blades angle outward, giving the general appearance of flower petals. In the clamshell type (top right), two reverser buckets are hinged so that when they deploy, they intrude into the exhaust of the engine, capturing and reorienting the jet blast. This type of reverser is usually clearly visible at the rear of the engine during use. In addition to the two already mentioned, a third type of thrust reverser is found on some high-bypass turbofan engines. Doors in the bypass duct are used to redirect the air that has been accelerated by the engine's fan section but has not passed through the combustion chamber (called bypass air) so that it provides reverse thrust. The Boeing C-17 has a rare form of the above type in which even the exhaust from the core is redirected along with the main fan's air. This gives the C-17 unrivaled stopping ability among large jet powered aircraft.
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
fly said:
FAIL.

Riddle me this shawn: Would the plane take off if it was able to simply float above a runway? If you answer yes to this, note that the wheels of a plane are free spinning.
Click to expand...

I would assume it would work like any other lifting surface. ie: a kite

If there was little to no wind on the treadmill there would be no lift, but the takeoff speeds for large aircraft is as I stated, thus an equivalent wind would act the same as the same ground speed imo causing lift.
 
shawndavid said:
I would assume it would work like any other lifting surface. ie: a kite

If there was little to no wind on the treadmill there would be no lift, but the takeoff speeds for large aircraft is as I stated, thus an equivalent wind would act the same as the same ground speed imo causing lift.
Click to expand...

Speed of the treadmill has nothing to do with speed of wind.
 
shawndavid said:
I would assume it would work like any other lifting surface. ie: a kite

If there was little to no wind on the treadmill there would be no lift, but the takeoff speeds for large aircraft is as I stated, thus an equivalent wind would act the same as the same ground speed imo causing lift.
Click to expand...

Planes can take off on a runway with little or no wind, right?

Adding a treadmill into the mix changes only 1 thing, the rotational speed of the wheels. The wheels will now be moving twice as fast as the plane.
 
Last edited:
Acceleration has nothing to do with the wheels

Airplanes are not like cars, the wheels do not make them go faster, they just free roll on the ground, which is why sea planes work, sea planes have no wheels and they still take off.
 
zengirl said:
Acceleration has nothing to do with the wheels

Airplanes are not like cars, the wheels do not make them go faster, they just free roll on the ground, which is why sea planes work, sea planes have no wheels and they still take off.
Click to expand...

But what if the ocean was on a treadmill?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back