/sci/ - Science & Math

Look, here's a sea-plane. It doesn't even have wheels. This is to emphasize the point that on a plane, the speed of wheel rotation has absolutely nothing to do with the ability of the plane to apply thrust and take off.

Cars connect their engine to the wheels - wheel rotation is directly related to vehicle speed. Shopping carts, cars, feet, tank treads - these are ALL applying force to the ground.

Plane engines do NOT connect to their wheels. They connect to the propellers or turbines. Propellers and turbines move the vehicle by pushing the air, not the ground.

Actually, the question is better posed with a sea-plane on a river with fast current, as the pontoons wouldn't spin freely and ACTUALLY reduce the speed from the propellers.