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Originally Posted by Wisha Haddan H3
True that a plane can't take off w/o airflow over the wings to generate lift.
So the underlying question is ... "can a plane generate forward motion (into the wind) on a runway that moves in the opposite direction?"
A car could not, because it generates forward motion by transferring energy to the ground, which would be negated by the conveyor's opposite motion. But a self-propelled plane could still move forward, because it accelerates by pushing the air, irrespective of ground speed or conveyor direction.
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That really has nothing to do with it.
Wheels have to turn in either situation. In the case of the plane, it has to move relative to air to lift off, a car doesn't. That is the only difference. How they apply their power has no bearing on this riddle.
Even if a plane is "pushing the air" it has to push against that air (thrust) to make the plane move, gaining speed. As it gains that speed the conveyor is matching the speed in the opposite direction, same as a car would.