Random Thought Thread

tinfoil hat timmy said:
airplanes dont have to adjust flights for the rotation of the earth. 😉

if they did then it would be impossible to land on runways going perpendicular to the rotation.
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iu


Yes, Timmy - airplanes do have to adjust their flight, both for rotation and for the fact that the Earth is a globe, not a flat piece of land. I'll add 'navigation' to the list of things you might want to read more about.
 
Smithhammer said:
iu


Yes, Timmy - airplanes do have to adjust their flight, both for rotation and for the fact that the Earth is a globe, not a flat piece of land. I'll add 'navigation' to the list of things you might want to read more about.
Click to expand...
airplanes have to adjust their flight path to account for the rotation of the earth?

yes or no?
 
tinfoil hat timmy said:
airplanes have to adjust their flight path to account for the rotation of the earth?

yes or no?
Click to expand...
They navigate by moving through the atmosphere, which is also moving as a result of, and in rotation with, the Earth. And while this is generally true, airplanes (just like ships) also use weather phenomena to their advantage, such as the Jet Stream. No rotation of the Earth, no Jet Stream, no ocean currents, etc. Travel in the opposite direction of the Earth's rotation, you are also going to generally be moving against prevailing global weather currents, which affects flight times, fuel consumption etc. The Earth's rotation, and more importantly - it's resulting effects - definitely factor into navigation. These very real phenomena, which present travel advantages and challenges, wouldn't exist without rotation.

As for flight paths, why do you think planes don't fly in a perfectly straight line from New York to Stockholm, or from Seattle to Tokyo, for example? Wouldn't that be most efficient, if the Earth is flat? Is it just because they want to waste time and fuel?

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