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Why do planes take certain flight paths?
Usually, when airlines plan flights, they choose the route between A and B that is the least time-consuming. The reason is simple: the shorter the distance, the less fuel is used, airlines save money. The dispatchers manage planes to ensure they manage to keep the distance of at least 5 km from each other.
What determines a planes flight path?
A: Flight plans are filed with air traffic control. If there is a reason to avoid an area it is stated in the flight plan. Pilots receive a clearance from ATC and fly that clearance. If there is a reason to change the route, pilots request an amended clearance.
Do planes fly straight paths?
Despite what some theories suggest, the Earth is not flat, and so curvature becomes an incredibly important factor in routes aircraft take. Similar to the Earth itself, aircraft, therefore, take flight routes that also appear to be a curved line, tracing the Earth’s shape.
Why do planes fly in a curved path?
The curvature of the earth and its extra equatorial width mean that curving towards the poles is a shorter distance than flying in a straight line. Another criteria airlines use for determining flight paths are air currents known as the jet stream.
Why are there so many airports in a flight path?
There are several reasons why, but the big two are to do with the curvature of the earth and the jet streams. Guessing that it was a safety precaution wouldn’t be entirely wrong either, as when planning a route many pilots prefer to maximize the number of airports along their flight path.
Why do planes not fly in straight lines to their destination?
Why Airplanes Don’t Always Fly in Straight Lines to Their Destination. Depending on the altitude, the minimum separation distance changes. That is because less sophisticated planes have pressure sensitive altimeters which are less accurate at higher altitudes — greater separation at higher altitudes compensates for risk.
Why do planes zig and Zag on the flight path?
If you’ve ever been on a flight equipped with a screen that shows the flight path, you might notice some zigs and zags that make your direct flight look like a scenic air tour. There are a number of reasons for this, but most of the time it comes down to Air Traffic Control (ATC).