Can the Plane Take Off ?

[Corey]

Hills have eyes,.........fooking gory

I always thought the hills were alive with the sound of music, now you're telling me they have eyes?

[Mark Halligan]

Have you seen the original, those mutants come a cropper in the end

LOL they do in the new one too, put me right off my bag of Maltesers

[newsh]

Ok I give in, it will take off, of course, DOH!

[newsh]

And if your s2 was jet powered your hair would get messed up

[newsh]

[Jas11n]

Haven't you lot got a pub to go too?.............

I'm 3/4 of the way through a bottle of Vodka and really don't give a fook

[Jamo]

I'm 3/4 of the way through a bottle of Vodka and really don't give a fook

i've just read the threads on forums throughout the net, interesting

2 trains of thought, the jet would move but not accelerate therefore not gain the airspeed to lift off or that because a jet engine pushes against air the conveyor is a red herring.

me i'm going to join my name sake in the vodka stakes

[Mark Halligan]

Interesting reading here

http://www.straightdope.com/columns/060203.html

[s2dude]

no way it will take off normally...regardless of Cecil in that article or whoever.....

I reckon the plane will fall off the conveor belt violently once it reaches an engine speed where it would normally be taking off....
massive forces will come into play once a certain thrust level is reached and the plane has no forward motion at all due to the conveyor stealing all its speed essentially.
hence it may lift off then will wobble and crash to the ground by the side of the conveyor....and explode violently


just my 2cents

[Keeper of The Kitten]

It's the wording of the question that ruins the whole riddle.

If the original question really did mean the plane stays still, it wouldn't take off - even given the entrained airflow caused by the moving floor and resultant ground effect, it simply wouldn't be enough!

If the original question was inferring that the plane can actually overcome the motion of the belt with the thrust generated, it would take off quite easily with the combined forward motion and the additional airspeed created by the moving belt, with added ground effect for good measure.

I believe the same thing as Jamo, conveyer was supposed to be a red herring - but sadly the wording of the question ruins it. I don't think it was meant to be a test of the English language!

__MDC__

[Corey]

Who the fook is Cecil Adams and who made him God? I see the original statement has been twisted so that either answer could be feasible.

Anyway enough of this question, now explain 42

[MidnightBlueS2]

Look at it another way, a plane flying at 300mph encounters a 300mph headwind, what is its speed in relation to the ground?

James May answers all this stuff in the Top Gear "Bugatti - Veyron" episode IIRC

[Fat Audi 80]

The question is wording badly and has ended up as a crap thought experiment.

This was posted on Pistonheads a couple of weeks ago and the general concencus was that the plane takes off!

Basically the Plane is sitting on a conveyor belt that can MATCH the planes wheel speed.
When the thrusters, jets whatever you want to call them activate, the plane starts to move forward, whilst the conveyor moves in the opposite direction. The wheels are turning twice as fast as they would if the plane was on a normal runway (assuming friction less bearings) once the plane as attained its required take off speed using more thrust and still on the incredibly long and extremely fast moving conveyor system it takes off......

However, if the plane is straped down, it goes no where unless the thruster overcome the tensile strength of the straps and they break allowing the plane to proceed as above....

Cheers,

Steve

[Corey]

It may be worded badly but the words state that the conveyer matches the planes speed not the wheels therefore the plane stays stationary.

We can all assume this and that but the original wording is what was up for debate.

[Alistair C]

It may be worded badly but the words state that the conveyer matches the planes speed not the wheels therefore the plane stays stationary.

That can't be the case.

If the plane is stationary as you say - then there is no 'speed of the plane' for the conveyor to match! Everything would be at a standstill! (catch 22)

It says it matches the plane's speed (implying that the plane is moving).

IMHO the wording is quite clear and it is just you lot which are confused