NEW!! Plane on a conveyer belt!!

When I first heard the question: Will a plane on a conveyer belt take off? I thought the question was if a plane would take off under the forward motion of a conveyer belt. (Like a glider being pulled by a towline.)

So…

Lets lock the previously free spinning wheels on the airplane (or use a pontoon plane). Put it on a HUGE conveyer belt, and speed that sucker up fast enough for the plane to take off. Sure it will… but not for long.

Keep the flaps down until the plane gets up to speed, then move them up to take off, and the plane will take lift. But since the power is coming from friction on the ground instead of friction through the air, it’ll come straight back down. The reason a towline (hooked to a fast winch or a truck) works for gliders is because the plane is not required to stay on the ground to receive the power.

I’m sure that would be a pretty bumpy ride though.