2.01.2008

Airplane and a Treadmill

Dear friends and recent enemies,

This here is liveblogging proof (via Kottke) that a plane will indeed takeoff on a treadmill of proportionate speed in the opposing direction.  If you don't believe words, perhaps video will suffice.  

4 comments:

kristian said...

Dear Mansfolio,
I must take issue with your original claim (made at dinner) that a stationary airplane will take off once it is put on a fast treadmill. At best, your claim was hasty and audaciously incomplete, at worst your claim is the haphazard work of a cheat, sloth, and scoundrel. The plane is clearly being propelled forward by a propeller atached to what appears to be a fairly robust piston engine. This of course was left out of the original description of this little experiment.

Sliwa said...

I second the Norwegian. I asked my dad about this too, filed under: Crazy things people ask me to ask you. He looked at me like I was numb and then he laughed a little. "It has to do with airspeed, of course it won't fly".

Mansfield said...

Well commenters, I might redirect your attention to this here analysis by a scientist nonetheless: here

kristian said...

again mans folderanal, you omitted the critical element of 'thrust' when you posed your question, aka a freaking jet engine