Ok, this question has been floating around the internet for a while and since we have a couple of pilots here as well as some very educated gents, I'll pose it here. If an airplane is placed on a conveyor belt that is moving in the opposite direction of the airplane's thrust, but at the exact same speed as that thrust would generate - i.e. holding the aircraft in place on the belt, would the plane take off once its speed reached the appropriate level? I say no because simply put, thrust serves to move the airplane forward through the air which provides lift. if the plane isn't moving through the air, there is no lift. What say yee?