Quote:
The conveyer belt is designed to exactly match the speed of the wheels at any given time, moving in the opposite direction of rotation.


My interpretation of this is that the linear belt speed must match the linear speed (forward motion) of the wheels (the planes ground speed) but in the opposite direction of rotation.

It does NOT mean that the conveyor must match the ROTATIONAL speed of the wheels, as the resulting linear belt speed would be dependant on the ratio of the diameters of the planes wheels and the belts wheels.

So, we know that the conveyor belt is attached to the ground, and the plane is on the belt.

Assume the plane accelerates to some ground speed x, before the belt turns on.
The planes wheel is moving forward with the plane at the same speed x.
The planes wheel is rotating in a clock-wise (CW) direction.
The planes wheel is also moving at some rotational velocity proportional to its diameter (both of which are irrelevant).

With the plane moving at speed x, the belt turns on (see attached diagram).
The conveyor belt wheels are rotating counter clock-wise (CCW) opposite to the rotation of the planes wheels. The linear speed of the belt is the same as the planes ground speed x.

In conclusion:
The only difference between this takeoff, and takeoff from a normal runway, is that the planes wheels will be rotating twice as fast as normal. Yes, the plane will take off.

-Jeff


Attachments
271293-problem.gif (207 downloads)