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Old 01-28-2008, 08:17 PM   #86
VanCity Cowboy
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If the wheels were perfect, completely without friction, the plane would stay in the same position while the treadmill moved below it, and the wheels spinning like crazy.

think of someone with roller blades on a treadmill; it would take minimal effort to counter act the friction of the wheel and keep you in the same spot.

The plane is not transferring power to the ground like a car, it is using the prop/jet to push air backwards, enough so that it gets it's opposite reaction, moving it forward.

I'll bet, the airplane has to over compensate for the 'minimal' amount of friction caused by the wheels, resulting in a slower acceleration and needing a longer 'treadmill-runway' than it would a regular runway.
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