Quote:
Originally posted by JMo:
Being a pilot, the myth that a plane could take off from a tredmill is impossible. Its not the speed the wheels are travleing that make the plane take off. its the speed of the air iver the wings which creates the lift. Now, it would be possible for a plane to land or i guess even take off vertically, given the right wind conditions for the specific plane. I've heard of a navy pilot land on an aircraft carrier the was heading into hurricane force winds. he practically hovered over the ship into the wind and touched down. his relative motion was very slow but his airspeed was still over 100 knots. just like i've had my cessna start to go back watds druing slow flight.
Right on. The name of the game is airspeed, not ground speed. I have seen Cessnas take off in a 50 knot headwind, and climb almost straight up above the field. Then it tipped its wing and took off like a bat out of hell.

The answers to most of these questions are obvious to people experienced in the area, but not always to the average person on the street. Mythbusters is a great show and I always enjoy watching it.