In a transpacific flight for example, planes from Hongkong to San Francisco can make it 11 to 12 hours. However the return flight takes 14 to 15 hours. They say its because of the wind. Is it really?
2006-09-03 13:34:17 · 16 answers · asked by njal47 2 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Aircraft
Sorry it should read flying from west to east faster than east to west.
2006-09-03 13:45:36 · update #1
Wind, indeed. At altitude winds are faster because they are not slowed down by terrain.
If you have a average prevailing wind speed of 50 knots, then the ground speed of an aircraft flying at 550 kts would dip to 500 kts flying into the wind, but will shoot up to 600 kts when flyng with the wind in its back. That is a whopping 20% change. And 20% is the difference between 12 hours and 14.4 hours.
2006-09-03 16:24:53 · answer #1 · answered by Vincent G 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
A plane flying west to east flies faster than a plane flying east to west because of the influence of the jet stream, a "river" of air at about 36,000 feet which moves from west to east. This moving air acts as a tail wind, giving an extra bit of speed to planes flying at this elevation. The jet stream was discovered during WWII, when it was noted that bombers took less time to cross the country in an easterly direction than in a westerly one.
2006-09-03 13:43:03 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
It depends on which latitude the plane is flying, in some latitudes the wind generally is West to East, but others the prevailing wind is East to West. Pilots try to find prevailing winds because it saves on fuel. The resistance (drag) on the plane is minimal when flying with the wind.
2006-09-03 13:47:06 · answer #3 · answered by bigjohn B 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Im a commercial airline pilot, To answer your question.that is
jet stream passes through asia and goes right to the US. This
strech of wind can travel more than 100 km per hour or even more. This is just like paddling a canoe down a strong flowing river.
2006-09-03 15:36:06 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Headwinds. The winds aloft flow mostly from west to east, so a plane headed west has a headwind and will take more time for a given trip.
2006-09-03 17:06:16 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
jet stream in the nother hemisphere move west to east therefore a pilot can hop into a jet stream when giong t san fran.from hongkong ...but going back he flies in clear air so he does not have a tail wind to push him along..
2006-09-03 16:35:49 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Prevailing winds generally flow easterly. This gives you a tailwind heading eastbound which increases your ground speed. When flying westbound you are bucking a headwind which reduces your ground speed.
2006-09-03 19:49:46 · answer #7 · answered by Bostonian In MO 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Tailwind usually makes it a shorter trip going from west to east or so I,ve heard.
2006-09-03 14:26:46 · answer #8 · answered by Iknowthisone 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Most answers here are correct; winds, jetstreams, etc. However, I didn't see the most obvious responce out there! Weather! Weather moves from west to east (usually). Yet, it can vary.
2006-09-03 14:52:31 · answer #9 · answered by clevens 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
When a plane is flying with the jet stream, it has less resistance and will make better time.
2006-09-03 13:40:27 · answer #10 · answered by I'm_Bored 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋