Re: O/T Science question about airplanes

Posted by MarkB_MI on March 24, 2007 at 05:30:00 from (216.234.123.145):

In Reply to: O/T Science question about airplanes posted by Fred Roberts on March 23, 2007 at 21:52:17:

Anyone who flies regularly, either commercial airlines or private light planes, will tell you that flying west to east is faster than east to west. That's because the prevailing winds are out of the west. For a commercial airliner, the jet stream may add or substract a hundred knots to the aircraft's ground speed. So a flight from the east coast to the west coast takes about an hour longer than a flight in the opposite direction.

Light aircraft normally don't fly high enough to enter the jet stream, but they are affected by westerly winds at lower altitudes. Because light planes are slower than the airliners, the effect of headwinds and tailwinds is greater on light planes than it is on jets.

Wikipedia has a good article on the jet stream, link below. The westerly winds are related to the earth's rotation, but not how you might think. It has to do with how winds from the tropic to arctic regions are affected by the Coriolis effect.

• Wikipedia jet stream article

Replies:

• Re: O/T Science question about airplanes Kevin Bismark 21:12:42 03/24/07 (0)

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