Originally posted by BlueSky:
That pesky friction? It's WFer missing link #2. [b]You don't need enough to stop the plane, you only need enough to make the tires rotate. That's why the "perfect frictionless ice" scenario works, because the need for the tires to roll is effectively removed because there's not enough friction to make them rotate.

The plane would fly IF the belt was a constant speed less than the plane can attain or IF the belt did not speed up as power was applied to the aircraft's engines. In the scenario as presented, the aircraft's tires, mounted on their freewheeling, unpowered wheels, will merely rotate faster in place as thrust is applied but the plane will not move forward.[/b]

Orignally posted by Blue Sky:
In yours, it seems to me the front tires would rotate faster than the rear ones but the aircraft would continue moving forward until all tires were on the belt, at which time the aircraft's forward motion would cease and all tires would rotate in place.