Look at it this way: if the plane was in the air and YOU were making the wheels on the plane spin, would the plane fall out of the air? That's all that the treadmill is doing...spinning the wheels. NOTHING MORE.Originally Posted by absoludely
i think maybe you're misunderstanding me or i didn't explain myself well enough? i understand the speed of the wheels have nothing to do with this equation, it's all about the force that's being applied by the engines. however, and please tell me if this is where i'm wrong, i believe the wheels must spin at a higher rate than the treadmill moving against it AS A BYPRODUCT of the force being applied to move the plane forward. because if this is not the case, then why is it that the wheels would freely spin at twice the rate of the treadmill? hope this clears it up for good
Look at the diagram again and you will understand why the wheels spin at the plane's forward speed + the treadmill's speed:
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