Mythbusters - Airplane on a treadmill!!

Cafe Society
21

[QUOTE=singular1]
Well, I hate to be “that guy”, but I’m in class and somewhat restricted on searches - where’s the thread y’all are talking about?
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Plane on a treadmill column

Comments:
Speaking of treadmills, read this.
Plane on a Treadmill, redux
A formulation of the airplane/conveyor belt problem that “works”?
Planes with “0” airspeed can fly?
Flight and the Conveyor Belt
Conveyor belt?
Plane on a Treadmill - SOLUTION
Airplane taxiing
The Airplane and the Treadmill
error in the “will the plane take off”
RE: A plane is standing on a runway. . ." No, it’s not. Here’s why.

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[QUOTE=1920s Style “Death Ray”]
Many people posting on aviation forums, e.g., PPRuNe, are not aviators.
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Indeed, but some of those answering that the plane wouldn’t take off were aviators themselves.

23

[QUOTE=Pushkin]
Indeed, but some of those answering that the plane wouldn’t take off were aviators themselves.
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You don’t have to be a mechanical engineer to drive a car and you don’t have to be an aeronautical engineer to fly a plane.

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[QUOTE=Snarky_Kong]
You don’t have to be a mechanical engineer to drive a car and you don’t have to be an aeronautical engineer to fly a plane.
[/QUOTE]

So… everyone who said the plane would lift off on these boards was an aeronautical engineer? I don’t follow :confused:

You don’t have to be an aeronautical engineer to know the wheels of your plane aren’t powering you down the runway to take off.

25

[QUOTE=Pushkin]
Indeed, but some of those answering that the plane wouldn’t take off were aviators themselves.
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Says who? Them?

Maybe they were. Being an aviator doesn’t make you smart. I think if you asked any pilot what propelled an aeroplane on the ground they’d give you the right answer. Some people just aren’t all that flash at applying their knowledge to a “practical” problem.

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You don’t have to be a weatherman to see which way the wind is blowing.

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[QUOTE=Pushkin]
So… everyone who said the plane would lift off on these boards was an aeronautical engineer? I don’t follow :confused:

You don’t have to be an aeronautical engineer to know the wheels of your plane aren’t powering you down the runway to take off.
[/QUOTE]

I’m saying that being an aviator doesn’t qualify you to know why a plane flies. There is no reason to give their opinion any more weight on this matter.

28

[QUOTE=Snarky_Kong]
I’m saying that being an aviator doesn’t qualify you to know why a plane flies. There is no reason to give their opinion any more weight on this matter.
[/QUOTE]

Actually, I took a private pilot ground school course in high school, and they spent some time explaining what made a plane fly, what each of the airfoils did and how they affected how the plane flew, and even the basics of how carberator and fuel-injection engines work, so being an aviator might actually imply some education and experience on the subject.

That said, I don’t know if such courses are required for a pilot’s certification, or even if 99.99% of such courses were as detailed on such subjects as mine was. It’s entirely possible that most courses skip that stuff and start by telling you how the airspeed gauge works.

29

[QUOTE=Snarky_Kong]
I’m saying that being an aviator doesn’t qualify you to know why a plane flies. There is no reason to give their opinion any more weight on this matter.
[/QUOTE]
I would be highly suspect of the ‘aviators’ on the other board that think the planes wheels propel it down the runway.