Phillip Bates is back?!?!

[nj829]

I am sorry to confirm that Phillip Bates is not back at Iowa State University.

I'll trust this based on previous posts on the money by JCloned2.

Now, back to the airplane. I think Mythbuster's finding were at fault because they did it with small airplanes. I think if a treadmill were big enough to put a small single engine plane on it and try to take off, it wouldn't get enough lift for it to work since it wouldn't be moving anywhere to build up momentum.

If it did work, why wouldn't an airport build a giant treadmill and save the money on a runway? Landing might be tricky, but that's another issue for another off-topic thread for the next rumor thread.

 

[SeattleClone]

But I said with all due respect
That doesnt mean you can say whatever you want
Sure as hell does!

Just like when someone says "no offense, but..." and then says something offensive?

 

[cybirdie]

I'll trust this based on previous posts on the money by JCloned2.

Now, back to the airplane. I think Mythbuster's finding were at fault because they did it with small airplanes. I think if a treadmill were big enough to put a small single engine plane on it and try to take off, it wouldn't get enough lift for it to work since it wouldn't be moving anywhere to build up momentum.

If it did work, why wouldn't an airport build a giant treadmill and save the money on a runway? Landing might be tricky, but that's another issue for another off-topic thread for the next rumor thread.

The slingshot!

 

[ISUAlum2002]

I'll trust this based on previous posts on the money by JCloned2.

Now, back to the airplane. I think Mythbuster's finding were at fault because they did it with small airplanes. I think if a treadmill were big enough to put a small single engine plane on it and try to take off, it wouldn't get enough lift for it to work since it wouldn't be moving anywhere to build up momentum.

If it did work, why wouldn't an airport build a giant treadmill and save the money on a runway? Landing might be tricky, but that's another issue for another off-topic thread for the next rumor thread.

Good grief.

An airplane's propellers/jets need only to overcome the friction of the bearings of the landing gear in order to push the plane forward on the treadmill. Doesn't matter how fast the treadmill is going, the thousands of pounds of thrust that a jet engine produces will easily push a plane forward, thus creating lift and the plane will take off.

End thread.

 

[Flag Guy]

Good grief.

An airplane's propellers/jets need only to overcome the friction of the bearings of the landing gear in order to push the plane forward on the treadmill. Doesn't matter how fast the treadmill is going, the thousands of pounds of thrust that a jet engine produces will easily push a plane forward, thus creating lift and the plane will take off.

End thread.

But then it's not on a treadmill

 

[CyinCo]

I'll trust this based on previous posts on the money by JCloned2.

Now, back to the airplane. I think Mythbuster's finding were at fault because they did it with small airplanes. I think if a treadmill were big enough to put a small single engine plane on it and try to take off, it wouldn't get enough lift for it to work since it wouldn't be moving anywhere to build up momentum.

If it did work, why wouldn't an airport build a giant treadmill and save the money on a runway? Landing might be tricky, but that's another issue for another off-topic thread for the next rumor thread.

Please don't start this again.

With that said, the treadmill you speak of to "save" money would need to be just as long a runway because the distance needed to take off would not change. If you can't get your head around this single point, then you will never understand why the plane will take off.

 

[cyclonepower]

glad he's not coming back...we dont need any quitters on the team

 

[mramseyISU]

I just read 13 pages of this on my BlackBerry and now my thumb is numb.

 

[CycloneErik]

The Flash used to have a device called the Cosmic Treadmill, which was designed to help him reach speeds fast enough to enable him to travel through time (thank you, comic book science!).

Could an airplane take off from the Cosmic Treadmill?

 

[captain7cf]

Ha ha I just read these 13 pages on my blackberry to after I saw him at the wrestling meet with franklin and black

 

[CycloneErik]

Here's a link:

Cosmic treadmill - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Bartastic]

Here's a link:

Cosmic treadmill - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Eh...I suppose it could work. In theory, anyway.

 

[Omaha Cy]

im sure glad i skipped pages 2 through 11.

 

[cyclonedave25]

im sure glad i skipped pages 2 through 11.

Me too. :biglaugh:
Read the first and then skipped right to the last. I saved about 15 minutes of my life. :cute:

 

[Rick]

NEW UPDATE ***

PB had family stuff in Omaha and stopped in Ames to see his friends. Sorry to get everyone worked up

So does this mean you dont want any positive rep for starting this nearly 200 item thread. Just think of the credits you were able to have people generate and plus we got to read the whole airplane/treadmill thing which is totally intriguing (if you are a Aero Eng that is) Okay, I feel like I got my credits like everybody else so I hope whoever reads enjoys it as much as the previous 13 pages of non information preceding it.

 

[Flag Guy]

See Rick the trick is to read it while the thread is still active - that way you are only reading a page or two at a time. And as a bonus, you get to be part of the frenzy of people wildy posting random crap that may or may not be related to the topic! :yes:


Oh and the plane on a treadmill thing - this was a quick rehash. There was an entire thread (pretty famous on this board, and much longer than this one) devoted to that topic, which was brought up by Myth Busters addressing it

 

[Tazzels]

Plane on Thread Mill

I'm not a aero eng, but here are my thoughts on the "plane on a threadmill'....

1) VT = Velocity of thread mill
2) VW = velocity of wind = assume to be zero
3) VTO = velocity of plane needed for takeoff
4) VPlaneMax = maximum velocity of plane on threadmill

*All velocities are relative to ground

If ( VPlaneMax - VT ) is greater than ( VTO ), the plane will have sufficient lift to take off.

This is no different than an aircraft carrier turning into the wind for takeoff, except the speed of the wind relative to the aircraft carrier is added to the velocity of the plane relative to the ground (or ocean) to achieve a greater velocity than what is required to achieve flight.

 

[TedKumsher]

Good grief.

An airplane's propellers/jets need only to overcome the friction of the bearings of the landing gear in order to push the plane forward on the treadmill. Doesn't matter how fast the treadmill is going, the thousands of pounds of thrust that a jet engine produces will easily push a plane forward, thus creating lift and the plane will take off.

End thread.

Not really true. It's air speed over the wings that creates lift. Jet engines produce thrust which propels the plane along the ground until such time as sufficient air speed creates enough lift to take off. If the treadmill negates any ground speed, then there will not be enough air speed to create enough lift.

Different story for small (ultralight) planes. The interesting question would be about small prop planes. I don't think the prop is large enough to create enough air movement over the wings to create enough lift without ground speed. It's not like helicopter sized props -- which literally move enough air by themselves to generate lift.

 

[bos]

I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name Bates; and rumor was following with him.

 

[nhclone]

Not really true. It's air speed over the wings that creates lift. Jet engines produce thrust which propels the plane along the ground until such time as sufficient air speed creates enough lift to take off. If the treadmill negates any ground speed, then there will not be enough air speed to create enough lift.

Different story for small (ultralight) planes. The interesting question would be about small prop planes. I don't think the prop is large enough to create enough air movement over the wings to create enough lift without ground speed. It's not like helicopter sized props -- which literally move enough air by themselves to generate lift.

I think a small prop would work the same. The prop is just used to pull the plane forward. Since the wheels are free-spinning, it would not matter how fast the treadmill was moving (except for the near-zero friction from the wheel bearings). The plane "pulls" itself forward with relation to the ground, not the moving treadmill. This forward motion causes air to move ovr the wings. Th air movement over te wings is what creates lift becuase of the shape of the wings. Therefore, the prop size would not matter as long as it had sufficient power to pull the plane against the tiny value of friction in the wheel bearings.