Can this be answered???

[BrwBier]

The wheels are totally unnecessary, there only function is to keep the bottom of the plane from wearing out. what is happening under the plane dosen't matter to the plane. Planes fly, they don't drive. now, if you were to take a dragster and move the strip under it backwards and then suddenly stop it would the dragster take off. You know, get airborne?
Brwbier

[raprap]

The Wright Flyer didn't have wheel it only had a hub and it flew---historically



I guess that's because the propeller was grabbing air.

Rap

[Dean in Eureka, CA]

The plane will not go airborne... The wings need to be slicing through the air to cause lift.
Come on folks... How many times have you ever felt the breeze rushing against your face while riding a stationary bike in a closed room???

[raprap]

I crashed my stationary bike.

Rap

[tddriver]

I watched the Mythbusters show and in none of their experiments did the moving "runway's" speed match the plane's forward motion. The plane always managed to move forward faster achieving what little lift the ultra-light required to get airborne. The test did't seem to meet their own criteria.

[raprap]

I watched the Mythbusters show and in none of their experiments did the moving "runway's" speed match the plane's forward motion. The plane always managed to move forward faster achieving what little lift the ultra-light required to get airborne. The test did't seem to meet their own criteria.

That's because the wheels weren't propelling the plane forward---the propeller was. For a real conveyor test the plane would require a wind tunnel, with the wind velocity in the tunnel equal to the airspeed--first in the same direction as the plane (no airspeed, plane will not take off-propeller will prevent the plane from flying backwards?) and in the opposite direction (plane will take off with no relative ground speed).

Rap

[BrwBier]

The wings need to be slicing through the air to cause lift.

And this is caused by the planes engine and propeller (or jet) moving the plane through the air, not by the wheels in any manor.
Brwbier

[Jiminsav]

The Wright Flyer didn't have wheel it only had a hub and it flew---historically



I guess that's because the propeller was grabbing air.

Rap

and it was also sliding down a big sand dune..

[bobhenry]

I crashed my stationary bike.

Rap

Too many "Apple Pies" EH !

[Nitetimes]

I watched the Mythbusters show and in none of their experiments did the moving "runway's" speed match the plane's forward motion.

You're right, it doesn't. In both statements it specifies that the speed of the runway and the wheels or the runway and the plane always remain the same.
They aren't even close.

[bledsoe3]

I watched the Mythbusters show and in none of their experiments did the moving "runway's" speed match the plane's forward motion.

You're right, it doesn't. In both statements it specifies that the speed of the runway and the wheels or the runway and the plane always remain the same.
They aren't even close.

I agree. The plane clearly had forward motion.

[Larwyn]

Of course the plane had forward motion. You would have to lock the wheels to counteract the forward motion of the engine prop from moving the plane forward. The conveyer only functioned to cause the wheels to rotate at a higheer than normal speed for the same air speed. As someone else stated, a wind tunnel would be required to counteract the speed of the the plane (with the exception of the slight resistance of the wheel bearings rotating at twice their normal speed).

[Mary K]

The plane will not go airborne... The wings need to be slicing through the air to cause lift.
Come on folks... How many times have you ever felt the breeze rushing against your face while riding a stationary bike in a closed room???

But, What if you put a engine and propeller on the front of the stationary bike? I bet it would take off..... But I don't think it would be pretty.

Mk

[bobhenry]

Yep !



Who said the wheel had to roll. Ain't technology grand.

Harrier Jump Jet in vertical takeoff !

[Lesbest]

Yes it can takeoff and fly. The conveyer has nothing to do with the air over the wings to creat lift. The conveyor would only make the wheels spin faster, as the plane lifts off.

Les, now I'll go back and look at the links listed.