[RightWhale]

Was this absurd statement really written by someone with a physics background?

How is this statement absurd? It seems perfectly true.

[cinFLA]

How is this statement absurd? It seems perfectly true.

Go check your physics for "On Earth there is always air or water available to push against." This is a common misconception by the masses.

[ShadowAce]

If I recall some high-school physics (a VERY long time ago), planes move forward by a combination of the air being pushed rearward, but also by the partial vacuum created in front of the motor that results when the air is being pushed backwards.

I could be wrong, but that is what I remember from high school.