OK, Say u have 1 jetliner, we'll say a boeing 737, and it is sitting on a runway. the runway is a gigantic tredmill convayer belt, how ever it is spelled, and how ever fast the airplanes wheels are moving forward, the tredmil will move that fast in the opisit direction as to stop the plane, and how ever fast the plane accelerates the faster the tred mill moves in the opposite direction. alright now you know the information. now is it possible for this plane to get enough speed to take off? or will it continually sit there with spinning wheels?

hmm i'd say there wont be any wind being forced under the wing to pick it up

The plane is not being powered by the wheels... so it shouldn't matter how fast they are turning, or if they're turning at all. The only purpose of the wheels during takeoff is to support the weight of the plane until it has gained enough speed for the wings to support the weight. The power to move the plane forward is provided by the jets moving the surrounding air. So the way I see it is that the speed of the plane would not be affected at all if it were on a moving treadmill, and the plane would take off normally. The wheels would just have to spin faster to keep up.

Unless I’m missing something... (it's happened before)

Yes. The conveyor cannot stop the forward thrust of the engines no matter how fast it moves. Jet will be airborne.

There is only one answer, but look at all possibilities. look at the treadmill as an exact opposite force on the airplane, as it starts to move forward it is being forced back because of the wheels on the reverse moving treadmill, Its like a friction being built stopping the airplane from moving. thnk once more

Well...I was going to reply, before anyone else had....but didn't.
I though that the plane would go nowhere, since the two forces would always be cancelling each other out.

TOC Admin
Brando

If we were talking about a car, or any other wheel driven vehicle, I would completely agree with that statement. However, an airplane is not wheel driven (by moving in relation to the ground), it's air driven (it moves in relation to the air).

quote taken from a member of physorg.com: (doesn't mean he's right but I agree with his opinion)

"The aircraft has engines that through action/reaction principles cause it to accelerate in relation to the AIR not the belt. As the aircraft starts to move the belt will move in the opposite direction, the only effect this will have is to increase the speed of rotation of the tires, the plane will continue to accelerate in relation to the air and the ground beside the moving belt no matter how fast the belt moves. This may have detrimental effects on the tires but will not detrimentally affect the AIRSPEED of the plane."

In short... the wheels on a plane are free spinning, the jets will push the plane through the AIR with the same speed, regardless of the movement of the treadmill.


Do you actually know the correct answer or is it just opinion? I did a quick search and it seems as though this has been discussed many times, but nobody seems to be able to prove it one way or another.

http://www.avweb.com/news/columns/191034-1.html


It will take off....unless the tires blow.

The end.


TOC Admin
Brando

yea, well its power source is diverted through the air not the wheels. and yea, it would take off and the wheels would get haulin ass. i just started this because its a good disscusion/debatable topic

indeed...looking all over the internet, it has been debated several times.
With some, coming to no conclusion.

TOC Admin
Brando

Hi everyone,

Just my opinion, but I do not believe the jet would take off.
The engines move the plane down the runway until enough speed is
gained to cause enough air flow OVER the wings (hence the shape
of a wing) to cause lift. This is the reason a plane takes off into the
wind, it gets "lift" easier.

Well now... Whos going to test this theory out? Try that exact same situation with a truck now pulling a glider. The only source of engergy is the truck, accelerating down the tarmac, using the tarmac to pull the load along.

The glider, will start to be pulled down the conveyor belt, and the wheels will be turning like crazy. No lift will be created by the glider, because the air sits still over the wings. NOW the situation works as C_Creations had once theorized.

Hi 88delta88,

I'm not sure if I am interpreting your last post correctly but are you
saying that the truck and glider are staying still with only the
wheels spinning on both while on the conveyor belt? If that's the case
then I do not believe the glider would take off any more than the jet would.
Also, if I am wrong, how would the jet or glider take off, straight up
like a jump jet?

the engines with thrust the plane through the air, despite what the convayer is doing, wheels end up spinning twice as fast.