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Old 19th Sep 2009, 04:37
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Milt
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Canberra Australia
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There is that rough old formula for determining the hydroplaning speed of a pneumatically tyred vehicle, be it a bicycle or an A380.

Speed in MPH = 9 X (the square root of the tyre pressure in PSI).

That means that you will lose it in your car, having tyre pressures of 36 PSI, at any speed over 54 MPH when you try to traverse across sheet water on the road.

There is no function for weight so planting your aircraft hard on to a water covered runway or smooth lake at speeds above the hydroplaning speed will not get your tyres through a water layer. Give this myth to the Mythbusters.

Regardless I don't want to be the first to skim a lake with a heavy heavy.
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