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>The plane isn’t going to run out of juice, unless it meets some clouds or some serious tailwind.

Why would a tailwind matter? That would cause it to go faster relative to the ground, but it shouldn't matter in terms of lift, right?

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An airfoil (wing) creates lift when air flows from the leading edge to the trailing edge, and the speed of this airflow is one of the factors which determine how much lift is generated. A strong tailwind will interrupt the airflow, induce turbulence and decrease lift. Thus, an airfoil moving into a headwind will generate greater lift than one moving through a tailwind.

Ah, so it's just the transition to a tailwind that causes problems? That makes sense.

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