Quote Originally Posted by joecoolfreak
I agree Jenn. I was going to do it sometime today, but echo never called. I still can't understand why anyone can't understand the theory behind it all. Everyone gets hung up with the speed issue and seems to think that the plane isn't moving relative to the ground and that just isn't possible. If anyone truly steps back from the equation and looks at Ruiner's, or BabyJ's, or Speed's, or my examples from previous post's you don't even need a plane to see what is going to happen. A skateboard or a wheelchair prove the important part. I think at this point, everyone will agree that if the plane moves forward, it will take off, so all you have to do is ask yourself, will the plane move forward? At that point, you don't need a plane or a 4000 ft treadmill to understand what will happen. Just find something with free spinning wheels or as close as you can and put it on a treadmill. Turn up the speed and see how hard it is to push it forward and then conceptualize in your mind that pushing forward is the exact same concept as a plane's prop or a jet's turbine. It doesn't take much effort to push your skateboard or wheelchair and so as soon as the aircraft's engines engage, the aircraft will take off just like normal. It's really the speed thing that trips everyone up. Think for a second on being in a car on a dyno...At full throttle, the car's speed is still nothing. In order for the car, or in this case, the plane to have speed it must move forward in respect to the ground. If it doesn't and stay's stationary, then by the rules set up by the original question, the treadmill is also at a stop. That is the only time that anything is stationary.

you can't compare an airplane to a sakteboard, or wheelchair, or car, because of the fact they do not have wings! like I said in the previous post, the wheels of the plane can be spinning at 1000000000mph, but if there is no air moving over and under the wings, you cannot create any lift.