Aviation is interesting because of the different feelings you get when you are flying. As the plane soars out of the airport with a takeoff set, you get a sense of power. Visual distinctions between flying over highway interchanges versus flying over farmlands. While approaching land, flying over urban regions and going slower and slower.
Have you ever wondered why airplanes don’t fly in a straight line from point A to point B? Even the shortest distance appears to be a straight line, but have you ever thought about why planes appear to travel in a curved path?; this is visible while traveling between Europe and the U.S. when planes go through Greenland and Northern Canada.
The Great Circle Route
The explanation for this is just the fundamental physics and mathematics. Because of the spherical shape of our planet, the circumference of the Earth is much greater around the equator than it is in higher or lower latitudes towards the poles. The “Great Circle Route,” which entails flying around the Earth’s reduced circumference, is also notable for flights from the United States to Asia, which will soar far above Alaska and Siberia rather than on a straight path.
Because the Earth rotates on its axis, the equator bulges out and becomes more expansive. The Earth is not flat, contrary to popular belief, and as a result, the curvature becomes a critical consideration in aviation route planning. Like the Earth itself, aircraft follow flight patterns that resemble a curved line, tracing the form of the planet.
Geodesic lines, though not necessarily completely straight, are the lines that define the shortest distance between two points on a surface. A geodesic line is always reliant on the surface it is drawn on. The question is, how does the land surface appear on a curved map? The geodesic lines will be curved rather than straight.
Calculations of an Airplane’s Quickest Path
Calculating the fastest path for an airplane isn’t so simple as there are several factors to consider, including airspace restrictions imposed by various countries, weather, the location of numerous airports along the route, and the Earth’s rotation.
Many pilots seek to maximize the number of airports along their flight paths when selecting a route. Even though emergencies are exceedingly unusual given the number of planes that why each day, knowing where you may land in an emergency is essential. However, it is difficult to imagine how frustrating it would be if you lost power over an ocean with nowhere to land. Similarly, if the plane had a medical emergency on board that required you to land immediately, being on a well-planned route will pay off.
Saving Money and Time on Flight Paths
It’s easy to forget that airlines are companies whose profit is determined by how rapidly passengers and cargo can be transported between destinations. Speed is the most critical factor in determining an airliner’s flying path.
When you draw a line around a globe towards the middle, where it is the widest, rather than towards the North or South poles, the difference in the distance becomes clear, and you save time and fuel. Flight paths are planned before aircraft take off, based on the shortest and most efficient route, and they can even alter during the flight due to weather, wind, and jet streams, to mention a few variables.
The Jet Stream
The jet stream, a type of air current, is another factor that airlines consider when planning flight paths. These high-altitude air currents exist towards the top of the troposphere, the lowest layer of the Earth’s atmosphere, and the location where most weather occurs.
The world has four main jet streams, two in each hemisphere, and they typically move west to east due to the globe’s rotation. The polar jet stream, which forms near the Arctic Circle, and the subtropical jet stream, which forms near the equator, are the most crucial for airlines.
While flying with the jet stream has many advantages, it also has a disadvantage known as clear-air turbulence (CAT), which occurs around the stream’s edges. Clear-air turbulence is far more violent than normal turbulence and extremely hard to predict, which is why you should always wear your seatbelt while flying.
