Can a plane take off while moving backward on a conveyor belt?

In a classic MythBusters episode, Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman attempted to answer the age-old question: 

Can a plane take off while moving backward on a conveyor belt? 

To their surprise, the plane was able to lift off successfully, even though it was moving in the opposite direction of the belt's motion.

To understand why the plane was able to take off, it's important to consider the principles of flight. Airplanes generate lift by moving over the air, causing the air to move downwards. This downward force, combined with the upward force of the plane's engines, allows the plane to overcome gravity and take off.

In the MythBusters experiment, the conveyor belt was moving at the same speed as the plane's wheels, effectively canceling out any forward motion. However, the plane's engines were still generating thrust, pushing air backwards and propelling the plane forward relative to the air. This forward motion was enough to generate the necessary lift for takeoff.

The MythBusters experiment demonstrated that a plane can take off even if it is moving backward relative to the ground, as long as it is generating enough forward motion relative to the air. This is because the principles of flight are based on the relative motion between the plane and the air, not on the plane's motion relative to the ground.

Unlikely Buddha 2023