"Ramapriya" wrote in message
oups.com...
I know that a car's engine needs to be mated to the transmission for
propulsion. This I know isn't the case with an aircraft with a jet
engine; if the engine is turned on without the brakes applied, the jet
of air leaving the engine will hurl the craft forward.

My doubt is, why does this forward motion effect not occur during
push-back, when the engines are normally turned on? Is it because at
low revs the engine would lack the punch to initiate the forward motion
of a heavy aircraft? If not, I'd imagine the push-back becomes a bit of
a tiresome affair by the time it's over...

Sorry if this is infuriatingly elementary, but I need to ask somewhere


Ramapriya



Sometimes they don't even need a tug to get away from the gate...

I've been on American Airlines MD80s that have pushed back under their own
power via their reversers.

Jay Beckman
PP-ASEL
Chandler, AZ