Swango1980
Well-known member
That is why it is a teaser, because it is easy to jump to that assumption as I did when I first read it.But the plane is stationary in relation to the surrounding air so how would there be any lift generated….
View attachment 56876
But, a plane can't be stationary relative to the air, because it is thrust forward against the air. It doesn't use grund forces to propel forwards.
The plane will take off, as it is using the air, not ground, to push against.
I suppose the question to ask is that is it actually possible for the treadmill and wheels to be moving at the same speed in opposite directions? When the plane uses its engines to take off, and it accelerates down runway, the treadmill will speed up. But the wheels react to the ground and speed of plane, so they will speed up faster. Theoretically the speed of treadmill can't ever catch up with speed of wheels, because plane is always thrust forward relative to air