# The Airplane and the Treadmill **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [June 3, 2007, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-airplane-and-the-treadmill/406573 "2007-06-03T12:57:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2007, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-airplane-and-the-treadmill/406573/61 "2007-07-02T18:29:31Z")
[QUOTE=John W. Kennedy] Arrggghhhh! You have now converted the treadmill of the original question into a catapult that _actively helps_ the plane to take off. [/QUOTE] No, it would just follow along at the same exact pace as the plane, neither adding nor subtracting velocity. ---
**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2007, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-airplane-and-the-treadmill/406573/62 "2007-07-02T18:56:08Z")
[QUOTE=Sage Rat] No, it would just follow along at the same exact pace as the plane, neither adding nor subtracting velocity. [/QUOTE] …depending on the old question of frictionless bearings, again. But when I try to visualize the wheels being hurled forward at exactly the plane’s speed (with zero lag time in the supposed feedback mechanism) it’s just too damned silly. MAKE IT STOP! ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2007, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-airplane-and-the-treadmill/406573/63 "2007-07-02T20:24:13Z")
[QUOTE=Pedro] Amazing how this thing is still going. [/QUOTE] It’s almost like the question is on… one of those… things with a wide flexible band, wrapped around a flat bank of roller wheels, that goes around and around, that some people walk on for exercise. What’s that called again? ---
**Author:** ![Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bc8723/32.png) [@Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fish)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2007, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-airplane-and-the-treadmill/406573/64 "2007-07-02T21:42:20Z")
Wide, flexible band… Roller wheels… Goes around and around… Some people walk on for exercise… ZZ Top? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2007, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-airplane-and-the-treadmill/406573/65 "2007-07-03T00:32:22Z")
> [@](#): > > MAKE IT STOP! But, don’t you see, we can’t make it stop. There’s just no mechanism in the problem to enable us to stop it. (ducking and running) ---
**Author:** ![Pedro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/919ad9/32.png) [@Pedro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pedro)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2007, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-airplane-and-the-treadmill/406573/66 "2007-07-03T04:12:10Z")
[QUOTE=Cervaise] It’s almost like the question is on… one of those… things with a wide flexible band, wrapped around a flat bank of roller wheels, that goes around and around, that some people walk on for exercise. What’s that called again? [/QUOTE] A runway? ---
**Author:** ![Khampelf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Khampelf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khampelf)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2007, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-airplane-and-the-treadmill/406573/67 "2007-07-04T03:19:09Z")
[QUOTE=CurtC] This is an excellent summary of dozens of pages of threads. . [/QUOTE] Thank you. I think this really separates… something. The treadheads from the free-flighters, maybe. Could start a religion. You must believe in the Treadmill, the Treadmill is a given. Not only given, a great gift… ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2007, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-airplane-and-the-treadmill/406573/68 "2007-07-04T11:00:10Z")
[QUOTE=The Sonoran Lizard King] Thank you. I think this really separates… something. The treadheads from the free-flighters, maybe. Could start a religion. You must believe in the Treadmill, the Treadmill is a given. Not only given, a great gift… [/QUOTE] The first rule about Treadmill Club is: you don’t question the Treadmill! ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2007, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-airplane-and-the-treadmill/406573/69 "2007-07-04T17:21:15Z")
Actually, the first rule of Treadmill Club is “the plane’s engine’s do not frakking drive its frakking wheels,” but after that you’re golden. ---
**Author:** ![Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bc8723/32.png) [@Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fish)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2007, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-airplane-and-the-treadmill/406573/70 "2007-07-04T17:38:44Z")
And the second rule is, somebody has to enter the thread _de novo_ about fifty pages in and say “what people fail to realize is that wind passing over the plane’s wings creates lift!” ---
**Author:** ![Khampelf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Khampelf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khampelf)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2007, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-airplane-and-the-treadmill/406573/71 "2007-07-05T02:08:09Z")
[QUOTE=Cervaise] Actually, the first rule of Treadmill Club is “the plane’s engine’s do not frakking drive its frakking wheels,” but after that you’re golden. [/QUOTE] No, that’s the last thing a TreadHead wants to think about. Heretic!! Kinda of like thinking about how were Adam and Eve to know Disobedience was Evil before eating the fruit of knowledge of good and evil? ---
**Author:** ![Khampelf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Khampelf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khampelf)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2007, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-airplane-and-the-treadmill/406573/72 "2007-07-05T02:10:46Z")
[QUOTE=Fish] And the second rule is, somebody has to enter the thread _de novo_ about fifty pages in and say “what people fail to realize is that wind passing over the plane’s wings creates lift!” [/QUOTE] But the treadmill is holding (somehow, don’t go there) the plane motionless, so no lift, no takeoff. There is no wind, it is Satan’s Flatulence, dear TreadHeads!!! ---
**Author:** ![copperwindow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4af34b/32.png) [@copperwindow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/copperwindow)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2008, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-airplane-and-the-treadmill/406573/73 "2008-09-08T06:41:30Z")
> [@mr bus guy](#): > > make it stop. lol!!! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-airplane-and-the-treadmill/406573.md?page=3)