# Plane on a conveyor belt (small scale) JUST TOOK OFF !!!!!! **URL:** \ **Category:** NYSpeed Off Topic\ **Created:** [January 30, 2008, 6:25pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/plane-on-a-conveyor-belt-small-scale-just-took-off/42706 "2008-01-30T18:25:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![avs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f475e1/32.png) [@avs](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/avs)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2008, 8:21am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/plane-on-a-conveyor-belt-small-scale-just-took-off/42706/141 "2008-02-03T08:21:22Z")
R=ρVD/μ V=0 R=0 It won’t fly. ---
**Author:** ![sureshot007](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/sureshot007/32/7345_2.png) [@sureshot007](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/sureshot007)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2008, 8:42am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/plane-on-a-conveyor-belt-small-scale-just-took-off/42706/142 "2008-02-03T08:42:23Z")
Dear God, I realize that you have a lot on your plate lately, with terrorism, war, poverty, and Britney Spears, but could you do me one tiny favor and smite all of those that still don’t think the plane will take off? Thank you in advance for improving society. Yours Truly, sureshot007 ---
**Author:** ![cdvma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/48db29/32.png) [@cdvma](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/cdvma)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2008, 10:59am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/plane-on-a-conveyor-belt-small-scale-just-took-off/42706/143 "2008-02-03T10:59:44Z")
> [@fairgentleman Z](#): > > The conveyor belt did fail to meet the planes speed. How else would it move in the positive x direction with the wheels still contacting the ground? You missed the whole point that the **wheels don’t propel the plane**. Fuck people are retarded. ---
**Author:** ![Clean\_Baldy](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/clean_baldy/32/7308_2.png) [@Clean\_Baldy](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Clean_Baldy)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2008, 12:30pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/plane-on-a-conveyor-belt-small-scale-just-took-off/42706/144 "2008-02-03T12:30:17Z")
> [@cdvma](#): > > You missed the whole point that the **wheels don’t propel the plane**. Fuck people are retarded. its that the question doesnt ask how the plane is propelled, but rather just mentions speed. Reading too far into the question starts to bring in new things like that into question. Speed on a treadmill is determined by the contact between the wheels and the treadmill surface. That is the only factor that should matter. If the wheels propel the plane or the engines make the wheels move, either way… speed is still the same, but controlled in a different way. The wheels move, the plane goes forward… and if you watched the Youtube I posted up, you’d see that a plane can match the speed of a treadmill and stay “stationary” in relation to the earth, while the wheels spin at the same velocity of the treadmill. See last page for my perception arguement as well. I am not calling you wrong, but just think a little more. I know the plane can take off, Im not arguing that. But, based on how someone reads the question, they also have an argument for why it doesn’t. It also matters which version of the question you read as well. Depending on how it’s worded makes the answer easy, like on Mythbusters. Or hard when it doesn’t ask it correctly and it could go either way based on perception. ---
**Author:** ![redrum](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/redrum/32/7398_2.png) [@redrum](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/redrum)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2008, 12:31pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/plane-on-a-conveyor-belt-small-scale-just-took-off/42706/145 "2008-02-03T12:31:42Z")
:picard: ---
**Author:** ![The\_Russian](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/the_russian/32/7414_2.png) [@The\_Russian](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/The_Russian)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2008, 12:36pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/plane-on-a-conveyor-belt-small-scale-just-took-off/42706/146 "2008-02-03T12:36:53Z")
The better question is, If you reverse the direction of the conveyor belt, will the plane take off faster/ in less time/ distance. DISCUSS!! ---
**Author:** ![HotRodKid](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/hotrodkid/32/7609_2.png) [@HotRodKid](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/HotRodKid)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2008, 12:49pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/plane-on-a-conveyor-belt-small-scale-just-took-off/42706/147 "2008-02-03T12:49:13Z")
> [@Clean Baldy](#): > > -snip- but the only way that the conveyor belts speed can EXACTLY match the wheels speed (via a speedometer mounted ON the plane) is if you simply turn on the treadmill and never fire up the plane the only way you can fire up the plane and throttle up is if the MPH reading is done w/ the plane in relation to the ground UNDER / AROUND the treadmill … and the treadmill matches THAT speed in reverese plane 50mph that direction -----\> \<----- treadmill spinning 50mph that direction wheels see a combined speed of 100mph, which obviously DOESNT match treadmill speed ---
**Author:** ![cdvma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/48db29/32.png) [@cdvma](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/cdvma)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2008, 1:23pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/plane-on-a-conveyor-belt-small-scale-just-took-off/42706/148 "2008-02-03T13:23:15Z")
> [@Clean Baldy](#): > > its that the question doesnt ask how the plane is propelled, but rather just mentions speed. Ok lets run with that for a second. If you say it doesn’t matter how its propelled lets examine the possibilities. 1. Not the wheels. It takes off since the wheel speed however modified by the treadmill doesn’t matter. 2. The wheels. Oh, wait, its not a plane. The plane reaches takeoff speed (V1), takes off and then falls from the air because its not a fucking plane. :deadhorse: ---
**Author:** ![Oroc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/c68b51/32.png) [@Oroc](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Oroc)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2008, 8:29am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/plane-on-a-conveyor-belt-small-scale-just-took-off/42706/149 "2008-02-04T08:29:29Z")
Its cant take off there is an elephant in the way ![http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/3873/elephantintheway1nk4.jpg](http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/3873/elephantintheway1nk4.jpg) ![http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/4789/11692389661km5.jpg](http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/4789/11692389661km5.jpg) ![http://img297.imageshack.us/img297/5043/ohdear21bg5.jpg](http://img297.imageshack.us/img297/5043/ohdear21bg5.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![fairgentleman\_Z](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/fairgentleman_z/32/7263_2.png) [@fairgentleman\_Z](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/fairgentleman_Z)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2008, 8:45am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/plane-on-a-conveyor-belt-small-scale-just-took-off/42706/150 "2008-02-04T08:45:43Z")
> [@cdvma](#): > > You missed the whole point that the **wheels don’t propel the plane**. Fuck people are retarded. NO FUCKING SHIT. REALLY? Where the fuck did I say that? All this time I thought I saw a driveshaft coming from the turbines going to the landing gear and transmitting power to the wheels. **A treadmill mathces the speed of the runner’s feet (the contacting object).** **Mythbuster’s conveyor belt DID NOT match the speed of the contacting object (the airplane’s wheels). Thus it DID NOT act as a treadmill, but a conveyor belt of a constant speed.** As far as I know it would be physically imposible to instantaneously match the wheel speed of a plane (because it will always be speed of contacting surface in the oposite direction + any speed created by thrust (neglecting drag effects of bearing style and fluid properties of the lubricant used)). ---
**Author:** ![Paulo](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/paulo/32/7328_2.png) [@Paulo](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Paulo)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2008, 8:51am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/plane-on-a-conveyor-belt-small-scale-just-took-off/42706/151 "2008-02-04T08:51:01Z")
> [@Oroc](#): > HAHAHAHA. I just made an ass of myself in the lib because of these. :lol: ---
**Author:** ![Bacon](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/bacon/32/7230_2.png) [@Bacon](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Bacon)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2008, 8:54am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/plane-on-a-conveyor-belt-small-scale-just-took-off/42706/152 "2008-02-04T08:54:07Z")
Could an elephant really stand on a frictionless ramp? Would it fall? Would it slide off? Would it take off if it was on a conveyor? [Previous page](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/plane-on-a-conveyor-belt-small-scale-just-took-off/42706.md?page=7)