Quote Originally Posted by chrisdavis
Are you over coming wheel drag or the weight of the plane? I have been thinking about this. Once the engines over come the weight of the plane it will move forward regardless. The same way that a hovercraft only has to overcome the weight itself to move forward, the ground becomes a nonfactor once forward momentum is achieved so does the conveyor.
Overcoming the weight of the plane would require lift.

If you want a less "biased" test, think of it this way: Put your car in neutral with a jet engine on the back and let her rip...

No matter how fast the conveyor belt spins, the car's wheels will also spin at the same rate, backwards in line with the conveyor belt. HOWEVER, the thrust from the engine will push the car forward, even though the wheels are still spinning backwards...