Mythbusters to take on: PLANE ON A TREADMILL!!

[mustang_wife]

My money is on the tarp tearing....

 

[a_m]

My money is on the tarp tearing....

Where did that come from?

 

[raptor10]

The mythbusters guys are gonna use a tarp attached to a truck underneath the plane to simulate a conveyor...

 

[a_m]

Ahh


That's just a dumb way of doing it. I hope that at least they cover how it's theoretically possible.

 

[Schnugg]

What if the tarp got pulled up and wrapped up in the prop...now that would make for good TV.

 

[JIMC5499]

What if the tarp got pulled up and wrapped up in the prop...now that would make for good TV.

Unless you are in the plane.......

 

[eddie]

What if the tarp got pulled up and wrapped up in the prop...now that would make for good TV.

My money says that's the kind of thing they are going for

 

[vicariousrider]

Unless you are in the plane.......

Well, now, those make for the most interesting stories, though!

Sitting there with some friends: "There was this one time I was on TV...the Discovery channel, and we were gonna use one o them tarp thingys under mah plane...":icon_lol:

 

[Harrier Dude]

The real question is after he attains flight and then "falls back to earth", will he be falling at 0G? Or 1G?

Ennnnnnnnnnnnnjoy!

 

[JIMC5499]

I'm still trying to figure out how come the majority here think that the plane will fly? If the plane is moving forward at a certain rate of speed and the conveyor belt is going in the opposite direction at the exact same rate of speed then the only thing happening is that the wheels are spinning but there is no airflow over the wings because the plane's speed relative to a fixed point is 0. It is like putting your car on jackstands and running the wheels up to 100 mph and sticking your hand out the window.

If I was them I'd try an R/C plane on a big belt sander for a test.

 

[a_m]

I'm still trying to figure out how come the majority here think that the plane will fly? If the plane is moving forward at a certain rate of speed and the conveyor belt is going in the opposite direction at the exact same rate of speed then the only thing happening is that the wheels are spinning but there is no airflow over the wings because the plane's speed relative to a fixed point is 0. It is like putting your car on jackstands and running the wheels up to 100 mph and sticking your hand out the window.

You tell me how an engine pushing on air (and thus forcing the airplane through the air) won't have airflow over the wing.

 

[JIMC5499]

You tell me how an engine pushing on air (and thus forcing the airplane through the air) won't have airflow over the wing.

Because of the wheels. The force being generated by the propellor in one direction is balanced out by the force generated by the conveyor in the opposite direction. The plane's speed relative to the air is 0.

 

[a_m]

Because of the wheels. The force being generated by the propellor in one direction is balanced out by the force generated by the conveyor in the opposite direction. The plane's speed relative to the air is 0.

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.

 

[MasterBates]

You may have PROPWASH over the wing roots.

Propwash is not enough to fly in most aircraft.

Try it with a jet.. No airflow = no bernoullis = no lift = no fly.

 

[MasterBates]

Heres a T-45 on a conveyor.

Vrotation = 120kt
Vlof = 132ish

Takes ~ 2000' to get that done..

If you have a 3000' treadmill, you could do it, but you are going to burn up your tires (being WELL above tire speed), take over 2000' since those wheels ain't frictionless and there WILL be more drag, and still take off, if you don't blow a tire and cartwheel to your death first.