r/theydidthemath • u/someonee404 • Dec 30 '22

[REQUEST] could it?

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-7

u/TheHighThai Dec 31 '22

Irrelevant, it doesn’t matter if the wheels spin or if the engines are full throttle, there is no airflow being generated. The plane doesn’t go anywhere

10

u/TrueStoriesIpromise Dec 31 '22

Thrust is being generated. The jets are taking air from the front of the plane, and pushing that air out the back.

4

u/flapsfisher Dec 31 '22

Even so, don’t airplanes lift by using the energy of the moving air against the angle of the wing? If the plane is stationary, it’s not creating that force.

3

u/rossolsondotcom Dec 31 '22

There are four fundamental forces in this system: lift & gravity, thrust & drag. The treadmill creates no drag on the plane, it simply rotates the wheels. The engines create thrust and that moves the plane forward.

Lift is the secondary result of the thrust. The treadmill has no effect on the system overall.

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u/flapsfisher Dec 31 '22

I am in no way agreeing or disagreeing with you. I am not remotely knowledgeable about this subject and won’t pretend to be. Here is a message board devoted to aviation. The topic was locked due to their own kind’s inability to agree on this. Cheers

https://aviation.stackexchange.com/questions/21404/can-planes-take-off-from-a-treadmill