thats gonna be freakin sweet

 

Under ideal conditions, and the conveyor belt matching the plane's ground speed for takeoff...the plane will not move. Sure, the engines are thrusting for its power...but it needs ground speed. If the ground it is on is moving the opposite direction at the exact rate the plane is traveling, it will not move. This is assuming ideal conditions.

 

but the wheels aren't powering the airplane!! ground speed is created by the plane moving through air, which is caused by a propeller/turbine engine pulling it forward. this has absolutely nothing to do with the wheels, just as long as the plane can move freely.

when a plane flies, the wheels are stopped, but the plane can still fly, can't it?

 

It doesn't matter. It still has to move that fast, and the wheels aren't what's turning the treadmill. The treadmill is moving itself.

 

a plane does not need ground speed. it needs airspeed. a plane could be sitting without wheels on a tarmac and if a 200mph wind came directly at it, it could lift off.

 

i just want to clarify. the plane is NOT going to float up. it's going to move forward and take off like a regular airplane. the treadmill will have to be as long as whatever the plane needs to take of regularly.

you disagree? you think it will stay fixed on the moving treadmill?

 

you're not considering the drag the conveyor would put on the plane

 

Sure, but under normal conditions it needs ground speed to create the airspeed it needs to take off. Right?

Under ideal conditions (no wind, no friction, etc), I think it would stay stationary. If it has enough thrust to overcome the speed of the treadmill, then it will move forward. But in this hypothetical situation, we are saying that the treadmill speed will match that of the plane at every instant.

 

Not if it's still on the treadmill :chuckles:

 

i guess we'll find out!