If an airplane.....(done before)

Imagine a plane is sat on the beginning of a massive conveyor belt/travelator type arrangement, as wide and as long as a runway, and intends to take off. The conveyer belt is designed to exactly match the speed of the wheels at any given time, moving in the opposite direction of rotation.

There is no wind.
Can the plane take off?

 

No because if it's not moving forward the wings would not be providing lift right?

 

No one knows, just let it go.

 

Yes it can. Here's the science

 

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http://mythbustersresults.com/episode97

 

The plane will fly if it can move through the air. It does not matter how fast the tires on the ground are spinning (provided they don't explode from over-speeding), how fast the treadmill is moving, or even if the treadmill was going backwards. None of these things keep the plane from moving through the air. The plane's power (jet or prop) and aerodynamic surfaces (wings) act on the air around them. It does not act on the ground.

If a plane was flying through the air at 300 mph and a 300 mph wind kicked up from behind and blew the same direction the plane was heading, the plane would drop like a rock even though it was traveling forward at 300 mph.

 

It totally was. the plane was moving forward at the same time the "treadmill" was moving. I just posted it for giggles.

Mythbusters is fun to watch but their science leaves a lot to be desired.

 

The plane takes off in every case. Which was kind of what they proved in mythbusters.

Plague's explanation is correct. The only thing that matters to airplane's flight is its speed in relation to air. And the propeller will move the plane forward in relation to air in the scenario no matter what the wheels and the belt are doing, since it interacts only with the air. If conveyor belt was moving forward with same speed as the plane at all times then the plane would take off with its wheels unmoving.

If the plane was in an airtunnel where the air was moving past the plane with the takeoff speed, the plane would rise and fly without moving an inch forward. (you can test this yourself by throwing a paper airplane against wind of suitable speed, needs one with proper wings though)

I was confused about this myth when I was watching cause I wasnt sure what exactly were they trying to prove.

 

The plane could not possibly take off if it was being hijacked by a load of Somalians.

 

That fooled me before as well. It's a bit of a misnomer putting in wheels and a travelator when wheels don't have jackshit to do with moving a plane forward.