Mythbusters to take on: PLANE ON A TREADMILL!!

[phrogdriver]

I can't believe I'm going to participate in this....

Airplanes do not transmit any driving force via their wheels.

Take a toy car and tie a string to its front fender. Put it on a treadmill. Hold the string stationary at the front of the treadmill. The car will keep pace with the treadmill no matter how fast you run the treadmill. Pull the string any distance, and the car will move at the same rate as if you were pulling the car by a string on the ground. Now imagine that string is a propeller. I think some people might be applying quantum physics to a classical physics problem. We ain't talking warp drive, here.

As long as you don't reach the limits of the gear, the aircraft will take off in the same distance as it would otherwise, plus a couple feet for a little extra drag on the wheels.

My only concern is that Mythbusters will jack it up by having the pilot only apply enough thrust to duplicate the stationary string, not the moving string.

 

[E5B]

I can't believe I'm going to participate in this....

Airplanes do not transit any driving force via their wheels.

Take a toy car and tie a string to its front fender. Put it on a treadmill. Hold the string stationary at the front of the treadmill. The car will keep pace with the treadmill no matter how fast you run the treadmill. Pull the string any distance, and the car will move at the same rate as if you were pulling the car by a string on the ground. Now imagine that string is a propeller. I think some people might be applying quantum physics to a classical physics problem. We ain't talking warp drive, here.

As long as you don't reach the limits of the gear, the aircraft will take off in the same distance as it would otherwise, plus a couple feet for a little extra drag on the wheels.

My only concern is that Mythbusters will jack it up by having the pilot only apply enough thrust to duplicate the stationary string, not the moving string.

Best explanation yet!

 

[Fly Navy]

My only concern is that Mythbusters will jack it up by having the pilot only apply enough thrust to duplicate the stationary string, not the moving string.

Well that's the big question, isn't it? Will the aircraft have enough thrust to over come this theoretical treadmill at whatever speed it is at?

Mythbusters has fvcked up before (i.e. the shooting into water one), so we'll see what happens.

 

[skidz]

Mythbusters has fvcked up many times before, and I wouldn't be surprised one bit if they fvck this one up too.

 

[phrogdriver]

Mythbusters has fvcked up many times before, and I wouldn't be surprised one bit if they fvck this one up too.

Maybe, but I still think that show rocks.

Besides, I dig that Kari girl.

 

[Brett327]

Wrong, try again.

The speed of the aircraft has NOTHING to do with the speed of the wheels. All propulsion is from the engine, not the wheels. The wheels will end up spinning twice as fast as normal, but the aircraft will still take off.

What does the airspeed indicator read? This is all you really need to know.

Brett

 

[skidz]

Maybe, but I still think that show rocks.

Besides, I dig that Kari girl.

The show is cool to watch, as just a show. But when they screw up on such simple problems, and expect the impossible, it just pisses me off.

 

[phrogpilot73]

The show is cool to watch, as just a show. But when they screw up on such simple problems, and expect the impossible, it just pisses me off.

I think they intentionally screw things up, so they can build up to packing something full of C-4 and watch it go boom.

 

[HalfBreed]

So does anybody know when this episode actually airs?

 

[phrogdriver]

30 Jan

 

[Brett327]

This is great. Now we have TWO ridiculous threads where the coke-bottle glasses crowd is trying to gang-rape a football. That's just swell.

Brett

 

[insanebikerboy]

^^ That looks like something from Mad Magazine

 

[Tex_Hill]

This is great. Now we have TWO ridiculous threads where the coke-bottle glasses crowd is trying to gang-rape a football. That's just swell.

Brett

You're welcome.

 

[AllAmerican75]

Mythbusters has fvcked up before (i.e. the shooting into water one), so we'll see what happens.

How'd they screw that one up? Seemed pretty legit.

 

[Fly Navy]

How'd they screw that one up? Seemed pretty legit.

They may like their firearms, but they didn't know enough about terminal ballistics when they did the show. The penetration capability of say .30-06 isn't realized until the bullet slows down. It has it's best penetration between 200-300 yards. Shoot it point blank at water, it fragments... shoot it at range, such as a beach landing, it penetrates. Think of it this way, what happens when you jam a twig in the mud? It breaks. What happens when you push it at a slower speed? It sinks into the mud. Same principle.