Why one way airplane flies faster, and in another - slowly

wind direction, air corridors and other factors, which you might not know.

Flight Moscow - Novosibirsk lasts an average of three hours, and Novosibirsk - Moscow - more than four. Distance between cities does not change, the route is the same. But the difference between a flight from west to east and vice versa reaching from an hour to several hours.

Direction of the wind

Swim against the current more difficult than on it. Go when the wind blows in the face, too, is not so simple. And with the aircraft: tail wind wings, counter - brakes.

The ground speed of the aircraft dependent on the wind direction. Most often it is blowing from west to east, so these flights with the wind shorter than from east to west against the wind direction. This conclusion was made by scientists from Vudskholskogo Institute of Oceanography and the University of Wisconsin in Madison. Their study is published in the journal Nature Climate Change.

The main factor affecting the duration of the flight is the circulation of the upper atmosphere.

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Chris Karnauskas (Kris Karnauskas), author of the study, Associate Professor, Department of Geology and Geophysics Institute of Oceanography Vudskholskogo

But there are nuances. Fly with a tail wind falls, and there is nothing to worry about. But in order to security takeoff and landing should be carried out strictly against the wind. Tolerated and side wind, but not fair, because it increases the need for take-off and braking distance. Simply put, with the wind "head on" the plane will take off easier and skidded off the runway.

Air corridors and waiting time

Air corridor - a kind of trail in the air, at which the aircraft passes the route. But the way there and back are not the same, so the time is different.

Also, the road back will take longer because it takes off the plane quickly, but when landing more often lingers in the so-called queue of other aircraft. If the aircraft in the area the airport much, then sit all at once will not work. We have to wait: to go to the second round, or at the request of the controller to reduce speed before reaching is. These factors delayed the plane on the way.

The Earth's rotation and Coriolis force

Earth - the non-inertial (rotating) reference frame. special forces operate in this system. One of them - the Coriolis force.

This force affects all bodies moving with a non-zero rate. She rejects the air flow in the direction: in the Northern Hemisphere to the east, in the South - west. And because of the non-inertial forces aircraft weight varies depending on the direction of the route. When traveling from east to west plane becomes easier and spends less traction on the creation of lift than a plane flying in the opposite direction. And the less the weight of the aircraft, the faster it can develop faster and the distance.

see also

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