Let’s assume we are flying at the same speed of let’s say 600 mp/h eastward and with 600 mp/h back westward: Will there be a difference in flight time?
Please ignore other factors like jetstream/windspeeds etc. for the main part and and only focus on the rotation
Now i don’t know how the speed of an Aircraft is measured/calculated but if the speeds are the same the destination should be coming closer to us and therefore we’d be faster to reach our destination, right?
Or do i have to imagine it in a sense that we are not “detached” from the earth’s movement, even while we are mid-air and are always moving at a constant speed with it and therefore it won’t matter?
Will it be easier to accelerate in one or the other direction? Will going 600 mp/h east take the same power as 600 mp/h going west?
I am so confused and i can’t even pinpoint as to why.
Thanks in advance
In: 3
It’s the same distance across the surface whichever way you go, what makes a significant difference in time is the speed of the air in relation to the ground. i.e. the wind. Especially the jet stream, which goes west to east, so flying east often doesn’t take as much time as going west.
The rotation of earth doesn’t have a big impact, but your orbital velocity is higher when flying east, which provides a small amount of extra lift.
Latest Answers