Big question

[EHM-1612 Paolo]

I have always had a big doubt about airplanes....
Why airplanes don't travel faster going from west to east then from east to west?? If world turns from east to west why it shouldn't be like this??? I did many flights and I know that my teory isn't correct but I don't know the cause....
Can anybody help me??
Paolo Mazzoleni EHM-1612
Sorry 4 my english

[EHM-1798 Conrad]

because of winds

[EHM-1760 Sven]

Originally posted by marchesedesade89
If world turns from east to west

I learned the earth rotates from west to east.

And I have looked again in the Internet and found this sentence on a homepage from the NASA.

"1. The Earth rotates on its axis from West to East..."

http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/ask_astro/answers/980225a.html

picture:



from: http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/images/seasons.jpg

The problem:

Where is east and where west?

When you depart with a A340 300 in Shanghai WSSS and fly to
Los Angeles KLAX. Are flying from the east to the west or from the west to the east ? :s  :%

[EHM-1343 Jonathan]

The Jetstream winds, travel from west to east, So when you're flying from KJFK-EGLL, you have the Jetstream behind you...pushing you on, this adds about 100kts to your Groundspeed....
Unfortunately, if you're going to other way, you must compete with the Jetstream, so you get a nice big 100kt headwind.
This theory applies to planes going from EGLL-OMDB(dubai) for example, they have the jetstream behind on the outbound leg, and must compete against it on the way back...hope that makes sense, not sure why the winds are that way...perhaps Svens diagram has something to do with it!

[EHM-1358 Tim]

Originally posted by 1760When you depart with a A340 300 in Shanghai WSSS and fly to
Los Angeles KLAX. Are flying from the east to the west or from the west to the east ? :s  :%

That would be "From West to East", looking north in Shanghai, the general direction you fly in is West.

[EHM-E4S]

my theory:

If it works, don't complain.

marchesedesade89 I know you hate philosophies, well use this one. It's good.

[EHM-1367 Oscar]

42!

[EHM-1703 Philip]

Fimfim, maybe you should change your name to Marvin?

[EHM-1821 Javier]

Originally posted by 1760

When you depart with a A340 300 in Shanghai WSSS and fly to
Los Angeles KLAX. Are flying from the east to the west or from the west to the east ? :s  :%

not that important but WSSS is Changi International, Singapore:)

[EHM-1612 Paolo]

eheh I hate philosophies but I appreciate ur helps. So if I fly from Shangai to Heathrow do I go faster than flying from Heathrow to Shangai??? I checked my flights from Athens to Sydney : I spent 17:10h for the first flight for the second 17:53h. In the opposite way I spent 19:12h......so this jetstream winds what are they caused by???
Another question: If I want to fly from EGLL to the other part of the world (same distance flyng west and east) what is better doing? fliyng to the east or to the west? :%
Paolo Mazzoleni EHM-1612

[EHM-1343 Jonathan]

West, Fly With the Jetstream, but that would leave you in the middle of the pacific;D

[EHM-1612 Paolo]

Ok thank you very much Razza and everyone. Do jetstream winds exists in FS???

[EHM-1617 Iain]

They are approximated by the stock weather system. If you fly online on IVAO or VATSIM, then the real world weather data is loaded, not only on the ground but also at high altitudes.

[EHM-E4S]

how about the Earth is going alot quicker then an airplane, so somehow, the Airplane is losing time, because it is dragging a bit, and basically staying in the same place, and just rotating around the world, but then how does GPS know that?:|