Gemorery states ‘a straight line is the fastest way from point a to b’.
when then, during flight they take a curve to get to point B?
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18 Comments
Well I would imagine that with the “extensive” amount of research that you used to come up with the question…..you can apply that same theory and just imagine how hard it would be to line up every runway on earth in the straight line…………………………………………….good lord….how do you people get dressed in the morning?
In geometry, a line is in a plane, the earth is not a plane.
Uhhh…try looking at a globe. Straight line look good on flat maps, but the earth is round. The planes do pretty much fly as straight as possible considering the curve of the planet. Give or take, depending on air traffic patterns. Imagine it as a bunch of interstates in the air.
Because of the air traffic control system throughout the world. Aircraft fly on “highways” if you will, in the sky, the controllers direct them to radar beacons throughout the world, the aircraft is given a vector/heading to use. Controllers need to see the aircraft on their radar screen, hence the instructions from them to the pilots on the aircraft guiding them from point-to-point (eg. radar beacon).
Sometimes aircraft can request a clearance for “direct” and the controller will give them one based on traffic at the assigned altitude.
Also, it is preferable for aircraft to take off or land into the wind, so they will line up accordingly on the runway or when they are landing.
its only curved on a map… the earth is not flat… try to figure it out
cause when if is shorter to take the curve you are thinking as the world is flat if it was flat then this would be true but the earth is a sphere making the only way to make a straight line is if they flew underground if you took a ball and measured with from one side to the exact side now from the same point go to the other side with a little curve in the line
Each degree of longitude is equal to 60 nautical miles at the equator. Because the lines of longitude converge at the poles, the distance is shorter, in nautical miles, the farther north or south that you fly of the equator.
Airplanes follow the great circle routes, which is the analog of “straight lines” in spherical geometry. And spherical geometry is what they use while in flying (or a close approximation, thereof).
The curves you might be refering to would be transitions from runway’s direction to the intended flight path along with restrictions imposed by ATCs, noise abatement and all. If point A’s runway is perfectly aligned with point B’s runway, then it would be what you said. But in the real world, they build airports near the towns/cities and its not possible that the runways are in alignment.
I hope this sets the line straight!
And to the gentleman below answering that it is to fly near airfields, I’d like to know how this strategy works out over the ocean.
It’s called Great Circle Navigation. I’m tired of explaining it, so look it up.
All these geometry answers are “technically” correct, but not really right. It is a good thing to have airports nearby in case of emergencies. That is why airliners follow the routes that they do. “Straight line” navigation will often put you hundreds of miles or more from a suitable runway in case of an emergency.
The wind direction has a lot more to do with that than all the other answers combined, the safest way to land or take off is with the nose into the wind so if I’m flying from New York to Montreal and in Montreal the wind is blowing west well you figure it out.
because worm holes haven’t developed to the point where we can travel through a solid sphere, instead of going around it.
Thats a good question :: Because as there are roads on the ground : there are also roads in the sky :: They take these curves so that they can organise space for other aircrafts to pass by and fly and because there can be road blocks ……
If I understand your question correctly, you are wondering why the planes don’t fly straight from New York to London? Because the planes must be close to a an airport for any unforseen inflight emergency. However, there are some exceptions for this rule, but these rules only allow a flight plan to be only few hours away from a nearby air port. ETOPS (Extended-range Twin-engine Operations) is an acronym for an International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) rule permitting twin-engined commercial air transports to fly routes that, at some points, are farther than a distance of 60 minutes flying time from an emergency or diversion airport. This definition allows twin-engined airliners—such as the Airbus A300, A310, A320, and A330 families, and the Boeing 737, 757, 767, and 777 —to fly long distance routes (especially over water, desert or remote polar areas) that were previously off-limits to twin-engined aircraft. ETOPS is sometimes read (humorously) as Engines Turn or Passengers Swim. ETOPS may be replaced by a newer system, referred to as LROPS (Long Range Operational Performance Standards), which will affect all civil airliners, and not merely those with a twin-engine configuration. Government-owned aircraft (including military) do not have to adhere to ETOPS.
some planes also have to turn because of weather and fronts because they try to get the quickest but safest and non-bumpy flight. For instance if you are flying and their is air pockets in front of you, or a large front, they will either turn or change altitude to avoid a uncontrollable plane.
People who say the earth is round are dumb… thats not what causes the turns hes talking about obviously. like the others said there are highways in the sky and the turns could be for various reasons but the main one is traffic avoidance. They have to be many miles away from other airplanes to be legal so it would not work out if everyone went direct. Incase you didn’t know the turns are not very sharp because the pilots try to maintain 1G throughout the turn so it does not feel like it is really turning.
not about to explain ‘the great circle’
POSSIBLY TO AVOID BAD WEATHER, MILITARY
AIR AREAS, OTHER AIRPORTS FLIGHT-LINES.
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