ELI5, If a large passenger jet was trying to take off on a free spinning treadmill, would it take off?
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Yes. The wings only need to be moving through the air to create lift, and the engines push on the air to accelerate the aircraft. Even if it were on the treadmill, it would still be moving forward, the wheels on the landing gear would just be spinning faster than normal. In a strong enough headwind, the plane would be able to take off without even moving relative to the ground.
There’s a Mythbusters episode about exactly this treadmill question
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