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Airplane on a Conveyor Belt - Mythbusters Tonight!


LPFSTheFett

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I'd feel dumb for several different reasons, like if I was a smoker, drove an automatic car, or maybe stroked myself off to the idea that I was correct about an internet myth on a television show.

Oh, and I'd feel worse if I was a democrat. :cool:

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My position on this is the same as when this was first posted a year ago. The experiment is bogus because the airplane won't stay on the conveyor belt. An airplane produces thrust to pull itself through the air. It doesn't matter what the wheels under it are doing, it will pull itself through the air and off of the belt.

 

Draw a free body diagram.

+1

 

"will an airplane take off from a treadmill that tries to equally negate the forward takeoff speed."

 

The tread mill cannot negate the forward take off speed. So yes it will take off.

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i still think most people who originally saw the project had the wrong idea because they didn't word it well...that if it matched take-off speed...it wouldn't take off...that even if the plane did accelerate the belt would match whatever the plane did...i knew when i first read about it that's what i pictured.

 

but just for it to match the Vspeed...yea it's gonna fly.

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i still think most people who originally saw the project had the wrong idea because they didn't word it well...that if it matched take-off speed...it wouldn't take off...that even if the plane did accelerate the belt would match whatever the plane did...i knew when i first read about it that's what i pictured.

 

That is the way I read it.....

 

KillJoy

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Sentiments agreed with...

 

I thought the 'myth' was that a treadmill that matches the speed of the plane...will not allow the plane to take off

 

All of their 'tests' allowed the plan to far exceed the speed of the treadmill. I thought they would be trying to match the speed attained by the propeller (very difficult to do)

 

The only 'myth' they busted was whether a plane can take off when a conveyor belt slows it down slightly

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i still think most people who originally saw the project had the wrong idea because they didn't word it well...that if it matched take-off speed...it wouldn't take off...that even if the plane did accelerate the belt would match whatever the plane did...i knew when i first read about it that's what i pictured.

 

but just for it to match the Vspeed...yea it's gonna fly.

 

Still think it would take off.

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Sentiments agreed with...

 

I thought the 'myth' was that a treadmill that matches the speed of the plane...will not allow the plane to take off

 

All of their 'tests' allowed the plan to far exceed the speed of the treadmill. I thought they would be trying to match the speed attained by the propeller (very difficult to do)

 

The only 'myth' they busted was whether a plane can take off when a conveyor belt slows it down slightly

I don't think you understand the results of the experiment. The plane pulls itself through the air, so it doesn't matter what the wheels are doing, it's going to pull itself through the air at speed.

 

It's like if you were swimming in a pool and someone put a treadmill on the bottom and ran it at the speed you were swimming. The threadmill doesn't matter.

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Would someone who is still in doubt that the experiment was not setup properly, please tell me the speed at which the treadmill would need to go, to keep said ultralight from taking off?

 

Answer: It doesn't fucking matter. Treadmill effect is null and void.

 

Heard some folks saying that it wasn't the right kinda treadmill, or that the plane started first, so that's why it took off.

 

I still don't think some folks are going to let this one go.

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but if you sped up the treadmill such that the plane didn't get enough force to lift?

 

Speed going forward gives lift under the wings. Along with the thrust of the prop = enough to take off

 

Get the treadmill keeping up with the plane and all you've got is that thrust from the motor

 

I don't know how much of it taking off was attributed to that...

 

Maybe it'd still take off with just the prop - maybe not

 

 

eh..probably senseless to debate

It's been debated for years :)

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Just watched it; had it recorded.

 

I was right. :D

 

When I heard the Pilot, I was worried he'd try to keep the plane stationary, but he did a normal takeoff procedure. :)

 

As for the naysayers, the treadmill could be going 100mph and the plane would still take off. As it is, that ultralight takes off at 25mph, and the treadmill was going at 25mph. And the truck can easily out accelerate the ultralight, so it hit 25mph before the ultralight. All arguments are meaningless.

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but if you sped up the treadmill such that the plane didn't get enough force to lift?

 

Speed going forward gives lift under the wings. Along with the thrust of the prop = enough to take off

 

Get the treadmill keeping up with the plane and all you've got is that thrust from the motor

 

I don't know how much of it taking off was attributed to that...

 

Maybe it'd still take off with just the prop - maybe not

 

 

eh..probably senseless to debate

It's been debated for years :)

 

The wheels of the plane would just spin faster and the plane would keep moving. You couldn't spin a conveyor belt fast enough to create the friction necessary to stop the plane moving forward.

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The wheels of the plane would just spin faster and the plane would keep moving. You couldn't spin a conveyor belt fast enough to create the friction necessary to stop the plane moving forward.

 

 

You're probably right

 

But i thought that was the whole idea of the myth: Keep the plane still and see if the motor alone could allow it to take off

 

I agree that if the plane starts to go forward (which it almost always will), it's going to take off

 

whatever :)

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You're probably right

 

But i thought that was the whole idea of the myth: Keep the plane still and see if the motor alone could allow it to take off

 

I agree that if the plane starts to go forward (which it almost always will), it's going to take off

 

whatever :)

That was the problem. Apparently it's impossible to keep the plane stationary. I didn't realize how horny some of you guys get off on this shit.

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indeed, indeed

 

we're on the same page, i'm just whining

I thought the myth was that the plane *had* to stay in one spot

I realize it's damned near impossible...but hypothesizing as though it were (as if it was held in place or something - or they increased drag on the wheels)

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