Originally posted by Maverick
Sandy,
The wheels do not make the plane go forward. The wheels only allow the plane to roll accross the ground and are free wheeling. No motive power is applied through the wheels. The motive power is applied by the airplane engines and are used to move air.
BUT.. to have flight, you must have lift.
To have lift, you must have air moving over the wing.
To get air moving over the wing, you must more than just air from the propeller... you need motion. ( or a strong headwind )
So.. unless the airplane has enough power to pull it self into the air with no runway, it's not going to be flying.
At least, that's the story I'm sticking to.