Why does it take longer to fly in one direction?
Clear-air turbulence. Jet streams are, at their most basic, high-altitude air currents caused by atmospheric heating and the inertia of the earth’s rotation—and they’re the reason why flights from west to east are faster than the same route traversed in the opposite direction.
Why are some flights longer on the way back?
It is the rotation of the Earth that is causing the longer flight times, but not because it’s moving towards or away from the flying aircraft. It is rather due to its influence on wind patterns – the so-called high-altitude jet streams. The strength of this is related to the speed of rotation.
Why is it longer to fly south than north?
Since the equator gets more sun than any other part, it will always have warmer air rising towards the north or south poles. This warm air just goes around the globe from north to south and back again. Since the globe is always rotating, the fragments closest to its axis move slower compared to those farther.
Why can the same flight take longer than it should?
Why can the same flight vary in duration? Flying east to west commonly takes longer than flying west to east because a high-altitude wind called the jet stream blows from the west, slowing the aircraft down. The jet stream always blows in the same direction because of the Earth’s rotation.
Why do planes fly faster in one direction and not another?
The reason for the difference is an atmospheric phenomena known as the jet stream. The jet stream is a very high altitude wind which always blows from the West to the East across the Atlantic. The planes moving at a constant air speed thus go faster in the West-East direction when they are moving with the wind than in the opposite direction.
Why does it take longer to fly from east to West?
Flying east to west commonly takes longer than flying west to east because a high-altitude wind called the jet stream blows from the west, slowing the aircraft down. The jet stream always blows in the same direction because of the Earth’s rotation. Warm air from the equator rises and moves north or south towards colder regions.
Does the Earth spin when you fly?
Since the Earth is spinning, if you take off from one place and fly in the same or opposite direction to that in which the Earth is turning, what impact does that have on the time it takes you to fly somewhere? What about the fact that the aeroplane is moving?