Mythbusters: Airplane on a Conveyor Belt

From Episode 97. The Mythbusters test the myth that a plane cannot take off while sitting on a conveyor belt moving in the opposite direction. First part is the small scale test and the second part is the full scale test.
maximilliansays...

I've read a few forums on the topic. Some people think that the problem is ambiguously worded. If the problem specifically says that the plane cannot move with respect to the ground (ie, belt acceleration matching plane's acceleration) then the plane cannot takeoff. However, if it's allowed to move forward at all, then there could be enough airspeed over the wings to generate lift. However, people are fanatical on this issue and will argue up and down that none of what I said matters. They are either in one camp or the other.

messengersays...

This isn't fascinating at all. The airplane's forward momentum doesn't come from the ground -- it comes from the air pushed backwards by the propeller. All that happened here was that the wheels on the landing gear had to move twice as fast as normal.

It's just like saying a steamship can't sail into the wind. Why not?

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