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Old 03-26-2011, 06:08 PM
DoolittleRaider DoolittleRaider is offline
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Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Posts: 470
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The way I see it:

As noted previously, the aircraft wheels have no "Drive"...they are irrelevant to the forward progress of the aircraft 'on the ground'. If the aircraft thrust is 'equivalent' to 200MPH, it will take off at it's normal rotate point/speed. The Wheels will be spinning/rotating (furiously) at twice their normal 'speed'...but, again, irrelevant to the aircraft's taking off.

Now, with an Automobile, the wheels are Essential because they are transferring the engine drive(thrust, if you will) to the ground and the car thus rolls forward along the ground surface. Thus, the forward progress of the wheels along the ground moves the rest of the car (Chassis) forward. If no wheel rotation 'forward', no movement of the car.

Think of a Drag race start, or pre-start. When the wheels are spinning but not gripping, you get a lot of burning rubber but no forward progress. Think "traction".

So, if the auto on the treadmill surface is turning its wheels with instantaneous point-of-contact traction at the 'equivalent' of 200MPH...but that point of contact of the treadmill surface is moving at 200MPH in the opposite direction...the Auto will not move forward. (There might be a nasty smell of burning rubber or fire)

Last edited by DoolittleRaider; 03-26-2011 at 06:11 PM.
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