Quote Originally Posted by Spyder
The reason this is being argued is because in the described scenero the belt accelerates at EXACTLY the same speed as the plane, there for the plane in essence stays still.

EDIT: I read exactly what you wrote, the problem with it is , it doesnt have anything to do with the question.
I don't care if the belt is running at 1 million miles per hour. It will only put a certain amount of drag on the wheels, bearings, etc. A plane's engine thrust can easily overcome that drag and move forward.

Hold a match-box car on a treadmill. Put the treadmill on slow, medium, and fast speeds. Push the car forward while the treadmill is at each speed. 100 to 1 you will use the same force each time to push the car foward. That force is enough to overcome the drag on the wheels. If the treadmill is moving at 200 mph in reverse, you would still only need a certain amount of force to push it forward.

The plane would take off...