jetcareers - View Single Post - airplane riddle (taken from another board)

B767Driver · November 28th, 2005, 10:12

I'm not a physics major...but I'll chime in.

I'll say the airplane will not fly. My thinking...taxi an airplane up an inclined plane. Use just enough power to keep it stationary...i.e. not rolling backwards. Let's say it takes 2000 rpm just to keep it from rolling back down the inclined plane. The airplane is still stationary...no way it can take off.

If the airplane is stationary on the conveyor...and while there's lots of work going on below the wing...there's no work being done on the wing.

I see no flying machine in this scenario.

November 28th, 2005, 10:12	#63
B767Driver Old Skool Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 1,960	I'm not a physics major...but I'll chime in. I'll say the airplane will not fly. My thinking...taxi an airplane up an inclined plane. Use just enough power to keep it stationary...i.e. not rolling backwards. Let's say it takes 2000 rpm just to keep it from rolling back down the inclined plane. The airplane is still stationary...no way it can take off. If the airplane is stationary on the conveyor...and while there's lots of work going on below the wing...there's no work being done on the wing. I see no flying machine in this scenario.