MythBusters

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hdeck

Lifer
Sep 26, 2002
14,530
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0
thread can go bye bye now. plane took off, which seemed obvious to me. /shrug
 

91TTZ

Lifer
Jan 31, 2005
14,374
1
0
Originally posted by: sao123

The earliest dated reference to the problem is in the November 27, 2005 issue of

The Pilot's Lounge #94: It's The Medium, Manfred
http://www.avweb.com/news/pilotlounge/191034-1.html


"On a day with absolutely calm wind, a plane is standing on a runway that can move (some sort of band conveyor). The plane moves in one direction, while the conveyor moves in the opposite direction. The conveyor has a control system that tracks the plane speed and tunes the speed of the conveyor to be exactly the same (but in the opposite direction). Can the airplane ever take off?"

This is so easy to answer.

Yes, the plane would easily take off, the only difference being that the wheel speed would be twice what it is normally.
 

oiprocs

Diamond Member
Jun 20, 2001
3,780
2
0
Please, please, mod, any mod, ANY mod, end this thread. Everyone was intent on letting the show decide, but no one gave it up afterwards. No matter what, more and more people will see the thread, pick a side, and commence in the ongoing battle. It's futile. This like a legal P&N thread in OT.

/rant
 

91TTZ

Lifer
Jan 31, 2005
14,374
1
0
Originally posted by: sdifox
now I need to go find a truck load of salmon. Would the one who thought plane does not take off kindly form a line over here? The salmons will be here shortly from the farm.


Grammar fixed.
 

Ns1

No Lifer
Jun 17, 2001
55,420
1,600
126
it is clear that jamie and adam do not know what they're doing. the show is for pure entertainment.


given the proper equipment, time, and money, the plane will not fly.

 

LegendKiller

Lifer
Mar 5, 2001
18,256
68
86
Originally posted by: Ns1
it is clear that jamie and adam do not know what they're doing. the show is for pure entertainment.


given the proper equipment, time, and money, the plane will not fly.

Hopefully you're joking.
 

Ns1

No Lifer
Jun 17, 2001
55,420
1,600
126
Originally posted by: LegendKiller
Originally posted by: Ns1
it is clear that jamie and adam do not know what they're doing. the show is for pure entertainment.


given the proper equipment, time, and money, the plane will not fly.

Hopefully you're joking.

Of course I'm not. They're not SCIENTISTS, they're fucking "special effects experts".

psh, calling them scientists is like calling britney spears talented.

 

91TTZ

Lifer
Jan 31, 2005
14,374
1
0
Originally posted by: Ns1
Originally posted by: LegendKiller
Originally posted by: Ns1
it is clear that jamie and adam do not know what they're doing. the show is for pure entertainment.


given the proper equipment, time, and money, the plane will not fly.

Hopefully you're joking.

Of course I'm not. They're not SCIENTISTS, they're fucking "special effects experts".

psh, calling them scientists is like calling britney spears talented.

You're amazingly clueless.
 

Ns1

No Lifer
Jun 17, 2001
55,420
1,600
126
Originally posted by: 91TTZ
Originally posted by: Ns1
Originally posted by: LegendKiller
Originally posted by: Ns1
it is clear that jamie and adam do not know what they're doing. the show is for pure entertainment.


given the proper equipment, time, and money, the plane will not fly.

Hopefully you're joking.

Of course I'm not. They're not SCIENTISTS, they're fucking "special effects experts".

psh, calling them scientists is like calling britney spears talented.

You're amazingly clueless.

If you read the thread, you would clearly see that I am amazing brilliant. Or trolling, your pick ;)
 

LegendKiller

Lifer
Mar 5, 2001
18,256
68
86
Originally posted by: Ns1
Originally posted by: LegendKiller
Originally posted by: Ns1
it is clear that jamie and adam do not know what they're doing. the show is for pure entertainment.


given the proper equipment, time, and money, the plane will not fly.

Hopefully you're joking.

Of course I'm not. They're not SCIENTISTS, they're fucking "special effects experts".

psh, calling them scientists is like calling britney spears talented.

What does it matter what their title is?

Any scientist knows that it'll take off.
 

Ns1

No Lifer
Jun 17, 2001
55,420
1,600
126
Originally posted by: LegendKiller
Originally posted by: Ns1
Originally posted by: LegendKiller
Originally posted by: Ns1
it is clear that jamie and adam do not know what they're doing. the show is for pure entertainment.


given the proper equipment, time, and money, the plane will not fly.

Hopefully you're joking.

Of course I'm not. They're not SCIENTISTS, they're fucking "special effects experts".

psh, calling them scientists is like calling britney spears talented.

What does it matter what their title is?

Any scientist knows that it'll take off.

....

<insert lolcat here>
 

DrPizza

Administrator Elite Member Goat Whisperer
Mar 5, 2001
49,601
167
111
www.slatebrookfarm.com
Originally posted by: Ns1
Originally posted by: 91TTZ
Originally posted by: Ns1
Originally posted by: LegendKiller
Originally posted by: Ns1
it is clear that jamie and adam do not know what they're doing. the show is for pure entertainment.


given the proper equipment, time, and money, the plane will not fly.

Hopefully you're joking.

Of course I'm not. They're not SCIENTISTS, they're fucking "special effects experts".

psh, calling them scientists is like calling britney spears talented.

You're amazingly clueless.

If you read the thread, you would clearly see that I am amazing brilliant. Or trolling, your pick ;)

If you read the forum rules, the first 2 rules after #1 are: No trolling
Maybe you're just amazingly foolish?
 

Descartes

Lifer
Oct 10, 1999
13,968
2
0
This has probably already been said, but a lot of confusion comes from how people misunderstand the myth. I explained it to a few friends at work (one a math major, the other a CE if that matters), and both got it initially wrong. Their impression was that the expectation was for the plane to simply take off almost like a harrier jet. When you describe it in terms of whether or not the plane will have any forward movement and thus ultimately achieve lift, the question becomes clearer.

imo
 

Capt Caveman

Lifer
Jan 30, 2005
34,543
651
126
Originally posted by: fisher
Originally posted by: Capt Caveman
Originally posted by: fisher
the plane can't take off. it's simple physics really.

Then you failed physics.

it's certainly not my fault you can't understand simple physics.

Yet, the plane took off. Please take physics again and re-read the myth. You obviously don't understand propulsion, friction, gravity and lift.
 

DrPizza

Administrator Elite Member Goat Whisperer
Mar 5, 2001
49,601
167
111
www.slatebrookfarm.com
Originally posted by: Capt Caveman
Originally posted by: fisher
Originally posted by: Capt Caveman
Originally posted by: fisher
the plane can't take off. it's simple physics really.

Then you failed physics.

it's certainly not my fault you can't understand simple physics.

Yet, the plane took off. Please take physics again and re-read the myth. You obviously don't understand propulsion, friction, gravity and lift.

Look, fisher, I *teach* physics and have been saying for 2 years that the plane would take off. It was done experimentally and the plane took off. What I am confused about is whether you're trolling in this thread, or if you really just have that poor of comprehension. But, before more of your posts persuade me to believe that you are, in fact, simply trolling, allow me to point out right now that the rule #1 in the guidelines for these forums is: "no trolling."
 

SSSnail

Lifer
Nov 29, 2006
17,458
83
86
Alright, so we all (well, most of us) agree that the plane took off. Lock the thread and be done with before I toss some mothereffin snakes on that mothereffin plane, then the mothereffin plane wouldn't go nowhere.
 

gingerstewart55

Senior member
Sep 12, 2007
242
0
0
Sure the plane will take off......that's why the Navy has invested heavily in huge treadmills on their aircraft carriers to launch their jet fighters.....made the decks much shorter and safer than those antiquated steam catapults they used to use.

Wait.....they haven't and still insist upon using steam catapults for launching their jets.

Honestly, who the heck cares if it takes off or not......have yet to see any airport or aircraft carrier or anything/anywhere else trying this out to launch their planes. Instead, most of the research seems to be in the VTOL side of things. Seems a huge waste of research money to me if the treadmills work so well.

This debate reminds me of the "Driving with your windows down uses more gas than driving with your A/C on.....aerodynamic software proves it!" debate, which, of course, has constantly been discounted over and over. Sheesh.

 

Jeff7

Lifer
Jan 4, 2001
41,596
20
81
Originally posted by: gingerstewart55
Sure the plane will take off......that's why the Navy has invested heavily in huge treadmills on their aircraft carriers to launch their jet fighters.....made the decks much shorter and safer than those antiquated steam catapults they used to use.

Wait.....they haven't and still insist upon using steam catapults for launching their jets.

Honestly, who the heck cares if it takes off or not......have yet to see any airport or aircraft carrier or anything/anywhere else trying this out to launch their planes. Instead, most of the research seems to be in the VTOL side of things. Seems a huge waste of research money to me if the treadmills work so well.

This debate reminds me of the "Driving with your windows down uses more gas than driving with your A/C on.....aerodynamic software proves it!" debate, which, of course, has constantly been discounted over and over. Sheesh.
......No one's saying that a treadmill running against the plane's direction of travel is going to improve its takeoff distance or time. :confused:

And apparently, driving with your windows down does use more gas than the AC - above 50mph, but not below.
 

sao123

Lifer
May 27, 2002
12,653
205
106
Originally posted by: gingerstewart55
Sure the plane will take off......that's why the Navy has invested heavily in huge treadmills on their aircraft carriers to launch their jet fighters.....made the decks much shorter and safer than those antiquated steam catapults they used to use.

Wait.....they haven't and still insist upon using steam catapults for launching their jets.

Honestly, who the heck cares if it takes off or not......have yet to see any airport or aircraft carrier or anything/anywhere else trying this out to launch their planes. Instead, most of the research seems to be in the VTOL side of things. Seems a huge waste of research money to me if the treadmills work so well.

This debate reminds me of the "Driving with your windows down uses more gas than driving with your A/C on.....aerodynamic software proves it!" debate, which, of course, has constantly been discounted over and over. Sheesh.

Drugs are bad mmkay?

This gibberish you have chosen to regurgitate isnt way out in left field... its not even in the stadium... your in the freaking Gate D parking lot, Row Z, space 284.

Me thinks you have no understanding of the problem itself.