My student asked me a question this morning. It was:
A car drives by turning its wheels against the Earth. An airplane taxis by rolling on its wheels while the engines push against the air. Are there any airplanes that taxi by turning their wheels, like a car?
I assume the answer is no for reasons of weight, complexity, and so on, but it's dangerous to say never. Are there in fact any airplanes that fit her description?
Edits in response to comments:
- She was thinking of "normal" airplanes, not airplane/car hybrids.
- Peter Kämpf's link is the kind of thing she was thinking of.