No, the problem was just poorly worded. I've now seen variants on the puzzle that word it more clearly. The idea is that the conveyor belt is supposed to try to stop the plane from taking off, not help it to do so. The idea of the problem is to make you (briefly) think that the plane won't move, until you realize that planes don't use their wheels for power.

The problem is really a lot simpler than what we've made it out to be in this thread. Its only goal was to make you go "Oh, duh, right, the propeller thrusts against the air, not the ground."