Scribd
Upload
37 views

Flight Path

Flight paths are the routes that aircraft fly, which are usually wide corridors rather than single lines. When looking at a flight map, the trajectory between locations may appear as an arc rather than a straight line. This is because while the Earth is three-dimensional, maps are two-dimensional, so a straight line on a globe appears curved on a flattened map. Choosing the shortest arc allows airlines to save fuel and costs by operating more efficient, shorter flights. Additional factors like air traffic may require some adjustments to flight paths as well.

Uploaded by

Alexia-Maria Apostica
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
37 views

Flight Path

Flight paths are the routes that aircraft fly, which are usually wide corridors rather than single lines. When looking at a flight map, the trajectory between locations may appear as an arc rather than a straight line. This is because while the Earth is three-dimensional, maps are two-dimensional, so a straight line on a globe appears curved on a flattened map. Choosing the shortest arc allows airlines to save fuel and costs by operating more efficient, shorter flights. Additional factors like air traffic may require some adjustments to flight paths as well.

Uploaded by

Alexia-Maria Apostica
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 2

Flight path

A flight path is the course or track along which an aircraft flies and it is the same as
the trajectory.
The term ‘flight path’ is used to refer to the mapped three-dimensional corridor where
aircraft fly most of the time. Flight paths can be a number of kilometres wide, rather than the
single lines depicted on flight charts. Aircraft may fly differently within these corridors for a
range of reasons, including aircraft performance (type, speed and weight), and navigation
systems.

The next time you fly, whether domestic or international, take a look a look at the flight
map. You may discover that your flight’s trajectory isn’t a straight line. Rather, it’s an arc that
either angles up (North) or down (South) before changing direction halfway through. Also
known as a great circle, this arc leaves many passengers confused. After all, conventional
wisdom should lead you to believe that the shortest distance between two places is a
straight line. So, why do planes travel in an arc instead of a straight line?

The Earth Is 3D, Maps are 2D


The reason planes travel in an arc is because Earth is three dimensional and maps are
two dimensional. If you made a straight line between two locations, such as New York City and
Paris, on a spherical, three-dimensional globe and then flattened globe into a two-dimensional
map, the once-straight route would then be an arc. As a result, the shortest path between two
locations is in fact an arc, thus the reason airlines prefer this trajectory.

By choosing the shortest possible flight trajectory, airlines save money in several ways.
First, it takes less fuel to fly a short path rather than a long one. Second, airlines pay less in
employee expenses. And third, airlines are able to sell more tickets when they perform shorter
flights. These are just a few reasons that airlines typically choose the shortest flight path, which
is an arc.

Other Factors
Of course, other factors can affect a plane’s flight path, thereby forcing it to fly in a
direction that isn’t a straight line or even a perfectly arced line. There are more than 5,000
commercial planes flying in U.S. skies at any moment — and that’s not accounting for
international or private flights. With so many planes in the air, airlines are often forced to change
their trajectory to avoid midair collisions. It’s important to note, however, that trajectory
changes due to air traffic such as this are small and insignificant when viewed on a map.

In Conclusion
It’s no secret that airlines prefer the shortest flight paths to save money and improve
efficiency. But seeing an arced route can leave passengers confused. As revealed here, though,
an arc — when displayed on a flat map — is the shortest distance between two locations, so it
only makes sense for airlines to use them.

You might also like

pFad - Phonifier reborn

Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.

Note: This service is not intended for secure transactions such as banking, social media, email, or purchasing. Use at your own risk. We assume no liability whatsoever for broken pages.


Alternative Proxies:

Alternative Proxy

pFad Proxy

pFad v3 Proxy

pFad v4 Proxy