Table of Contents
- 1 Does Earth rotation affect plane speed?
- 2 Why doesn’t an airplane traveling in the opposite direction of the Earth’s rotation move faster than one traveling in the same direction of the Earth’s rotation?
- 3 Why does an airplane fly in the same direction as the Earth?
- 4 What is the speed of a plane flying against the Earth?
Does Earth rotation affect plane speed?
The rotation of the Earth has no direct significant effect on flight times in either direction. That’s to a first order approximation. As others have already said, since the Earth’s surface is (very nearly) spherical and is rotating rather than moving linearly, Coriolis effects can be significant.
Why doesn’t an airplane traveling in the opposite direction of the Earth’s rotation move faster than one traveling in the same direction of the Earth’s rotation?
If you fly in the opposite direction that earth is spinning, basically flying against the spin, the earth is moving toward you with the spin at the speed of 1000 miles per hour. Flying west it decreases its speed relative to the surface of the Earth, and the Earth slips by.
Why can’t planes travel faster?
Airplanes don’t fly faster because they burn more fuel at higher speeds, meaning that it isn’t economical. In addition, operating at higher speeds puts more stress on the engines as well as the airplane fuselage, which causes them to wear down faster.
Why would the Earth’s rotation influence the length of a flight?
Why would you expect the Earth’s rotation to influence the length of a flight for an airplane? An airplane sitting on the runway, at the equator, is traveling eastwards at 1000 mph (1600 km/h), just as the ground below it is traveling at that speed. If it wasn’t, it would appear to roll backwards at great speed.
Why does an airplane fly in the same direction as the Earth?
The airplane was already moving with the earth (relative to an observer in space) when it left the ground, so any additional motion of the airplane is relative to the moving ground irrespective of the direction of the rotational motion of the earth.
What is the speed of a plane flying against the Earth?
If you fly in the opposite direction that earth is spinning, basically flying against the spin, the earth is moving toward you with the spin at the speed of 1000 miles per hour. Assuming the plane is flying at 500 mph on its own, why are you not flying toward your destination at the speed of 1500mph?
What happens to a plane when it takes off?
When it takes off, it still has speed from sitting on the ground. In order to fly east, the plane increases its speed relative to the surface of the Earth and begins to overtake it. Flying west it decreases its speed relative to the surface of the Earth, and the Earth slips by.