Mythbusters, Plane on a treadmill..

[Sig]

time to kill the bottle and try to make some sense of all this.

Your second worthwhile thought on this thread. ENJOY!

 

[Max Q]

A rubber band airplane and a treadmill put this one to bed ages ago. It's incredible how many people are so baffled by Newton's third law.

-Brett

 

[Herman Bloom]

ok, watched the clip. I was going to flame "Herman" because his information is completely BS, as usual for FI posts. Then, I had a moment of clarity, (very rare these days for me). Herman is actually right-with exception to the "frictionless bearing" comment. Somehow, I understand what you are saying?

Here's another way of thinking of it: Instead of an engine, pretend that some huge giant is standing in front of the treadmill holding a string attached to the front of the plane. His pulling of the string can be thought of as a surrogate for the force created by the engine. Now, regardless of how fast that treadmill runs, the giant can still cause the plane to move down the length of the treadmill -- to accelerate and gain "airspeed" -- because the action of his pulling (= the engine) is totally independent of the treadmill's speed.

As for the "frictionless bearing" thing, I'll give you that. One could argue that the extreme rotational velocity of the wheels would destroy them, and I was trying to eliminate that as a variable.

 

[go!ng for broke]

WTF The wheels and bearings can go fast man like real fast. No drag at all. If I drive my ford ranger 300,000 miles for 22 years at 55 mph and then go 100mph one night down a long hill looking for my wife who just drove away on my harley do the wheels fly off? Do the bearings go nuts? The plane will fly only if the trap does not suck up into the prop. Do pretty girls f@rt was better. I learned to fly in a plane similar to that. JO spins his wheels all the time and his airplanes still fly.

 

[Say Again Over]

Isn't the whole point of having a real fast tread mill, to keep the aircraft from moving forward? So considering no matter how fast a treadmill moves, it won't restrict an airplane from accelerating and it should fly, right?

 

[go!ng for broke]

They say the treadmill speed will match the a/c speed in reverse. all that means is the wheels will be spinning for 80mph and the plane will be going 40mph and it flys

 

[Herman Bloom]

Isn't the whole point of having a real fast tread mill, to keep the aircraft from moving forward? So considering no matter how fast a treadmill moves, it won't restrict an airplane from accelerating and it should fly, right?

Right.

 

[blott]

I hate to say it, but the only thing working against the whole deal , in the above case - bearing friction. no, seriously. ugh...

B

 

[AceyFO]

Well if you are running on a treadmill you dont get any wind resistance, so wouldnt that be the same for the plane?

 

[go!ng for broke]

feet for thrust on treadmill
prop for thrust on air

now if you had a prop engine or big fan blow in to just the prop dia. at the same speed as prop air out ......

 

[jergar999]

WTF The wheels and bearings can go fast man like real fast. No drag at all. If I drive my ford ranger 300,000 miles for 22 years at 55 mph and then go 100mph one night down a long hill looking for my wife who just drove away on my harley do the wheels fly off? Do the bearings go nuts? The plane will fly only if the trap does not suck up into the prop. Do pretty girls f@rt was better. I learned to fly in a plane similar to that. JO spins his wheels all the time and his airplanes still fly.

You don't have to go anywhere near a hundred miles an hour to catch a Harley.

 

[blott]

if the wife was driving the harley, it must have been a sportster-best to just let it go.

B

 

[V-1]

Maybe the wife was big enough to handle something bigger than a Sportster?

On second thought, I agree...just let her go.

That raises another question...
If your wife were riding a Harley on a treadmill and you were driving a _______ could you catch her?

 

[belchfire]

Maybe the wife was big enough to handle something bigger than a Sportster?

On second thought, I agree...just let her go.

That raises another question...
If your wife were riding a Harley on a treadmill and you were driving a _______ could you catch her?

If your wife is stupid enough to put a Hog on a treadmill and try to get away-

1) You have made at least one very poor choice in you life...

2) You might as well compound your error-bring in a louge chair and a cooler of beer and watch and drink beer and throw the empties at her!

 

[jergar999]

What...you think the wife might have been a good choice???