Can A Plane Take Off On A Treadmill?
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From: Queen City, NC
People need to understand planes operate on lift, not ground speed. Air speed and ground speed are two different things on a plane. This will blow some of your minds, but a plane can actually fly backwards, given enough head wind.
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From: Winnipeg, MB
Originally Posted by esracer,Jan 30 2008, 05:35 PM
that is true, but if the treadmill does go as fast as the wheels go the plane will not take off, the wheels are what connects the plane to the ground, the plane does not hover. So no matter how much thrust you have you are still not airborne because there is no wind to make the plane lift. If the plane was hovering then yes the wheels would have no effect. What causes lift is the air speed over the wings, if the plane is on the treadmill there is no wind speed, if the treadmill was a frictionless type of surface, like if the plane was going 100mph and the treadmill was going 100mph, and their speeds always contridicated eachother. But if the treadmill maxed out at 100mph and the plane could go faster than 100mph then yes if the plane could take off if we're talking about a infinitely long treadmill.
You're contradicting yourself. If thrust is generated by the engines, it doesn't matter what the wheels are doing, they could be moving forwards, backwards sideways, 1000mph, or 10mph. It doesn't matter at all. The thrust of the engines will move the plane relative to the direction of the force of thrust. And once it's moving when the plane-to-air speed is high enough to generate enough lift to lift the plane, it will fly. Plane-to-ground or plane-to-treadmill speed is irellevant. You're thinking of the plane like a car, attach some wings to a car and drive it on a treadmill at 100mph while the treadmill moves in opposite direction at 100mph and the car will not take off, the wheels on the car apply the force to move forward and that's in contact with the treadmill.
Wheels on a plane are free wheeling, they can, and do go from 0-100 in an instant. If the treadmill is running at 100mph and the engines on the plane begin to move the plane at 10mph relative to the ground, the wheels will just move at 110mph.
Engines on a plane do not have that same limitation. Ask yourself, why do planes take off into the wind?
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From: Queen City, NC
Originally Posted by SIIK2NR,Jan 30 2008, 09:51 PM
Please re-read the entire thread.......
The wheels do not generated the movement! They are frictionless.
IF IT WAS A CAR, THEN YES....However a Planes moves by air thrust and that thrust is NOT coverted to wheel spin.
A CAR moves by engine combustion which is converted to wheel spin.
A CAR will stay in one place. A PLANE will not.
The wheels do not generated the movement! They are frictionless.
IF IT WAS A CAR, THEN YES....However a Planes moves by air thrust and that thrust is NOT coverted to wheel spin.
A CAR moves by engine combustion which is converted to wheel spin.
A CAR will stay in one place. A PLANE will not.
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From: San Diego, Wess-Side!!
Think of it this way....
Put the SPACE SHUTTLE on wheels.
Aim SPACE SHUTTLE at the sky
Put treadmill along side the SPACE SHUTTLE.
Turn treadmill on while rockets are boosting.
Are you telling me that the SPACE SHUTTLE will not go up?
Guess again. The treadmill will not cancel out the SHUTTLES ability to move upward because you put a treadmill along side it's wheels.
Enough said.
Put the SPACE SHUTTLE on wheels.
Aim SPACE SHUTTLE at the sky
Put treadmill along side the SPACE SHUTTLE.
Turn treadmill on while rockets are boosting.
Are you telling me that the SPACE SHUTTLE will not go up?
Guess again. The treadmill will not cancel out the SHUTTLES ability to move upward because you put a treadmill along side it's wheels.
Enough said.
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It can take off.
But I think there is a misconception here. The plane will be moving forward relative to its starting position, it won't lift vertically into the air, the wheels will be spinning twice as fast because the ground is moving as fast as the plane, but the plane will still move forwards and generate lift from the air.
Check youtube
But I think there is a misconception here. The plane will be moving forward relative to its starting position, it won't lift vertically into the air, the wheels will be spinning twice as fast because the ground is moving as fast as the plane, but the plane will still move forwards and generate lift from the air.
Check youtube
