The "Plane on a Treadmill" Question

glatt · 12-07-2006, 11:13 AM

The plane pushes against the air, right?

Picture a different scene. You are in a canoe in a raging river, but you have a pole, and you are using it to push your way up the river. The water is going past the canoe at a very high speed, but since you aren't pushing against the water, this doesn't matter. You push against the ground with a pole.

Here, the plane isn't pushing against the runway, it's pushing against the air. The runway doesn't matter.

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12-07-2006, 11:13 AM	#11
glatt ™ Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Arlington, VA Posts: 27,717	The plane pushes against the air, right? Picture a different scene. You are in a canoe in a raging river, but you have a pole, and you are using it to push your way up the river. The water is going past the canoe at a very high speed, but since you aren't pushing against the water, this doesn't matter. You push against the ground with a pole. Here, the plane isn't pushing against the runway, it's pushing against the air. The runway doesn't matter.

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