Why Do Planes Fly Curves?

say this again Flat Earthers will piss off we know, but at least it is our duty to prevent the new “Flat Earthist” minds.

Our world is geoid; that is, it has a form that is flattened from the poles and bulging from the equator. Pilots too towards the poles They fly on a curved route in order to take a shorter route and consume less fuel.

So does this route route always have to be like this?

Of course, it is not always the shortest distance that determines the routes of the planes. During the trip various technical or natural origin For reasons, a different route may be followed and deviations may occur.

weather conditions or severe turbulence Routes can also be shaped according to the risks. At the same time, a route can be determined according to the airports where landing can be made in case of any danger.

Now let’s explain our question with an example. Let’s say we take a flight from Ankara to Los Angeles, where technical and natural events are the least.

When we try to measure the linear distance between two points on a two-dimensional normal map. 13,423 kilometers we see it is. “Rhumb Truth” Known as this line, it refers to the shortest distance in a straight line between two points.

At first glance, this image misleads people into thinking that this is the shortest linear distance. But actually to find the shortest distance between two points Earth’s tilted surface We need to handle it.

To ensure this “Grand Circle Method”we need When this method is used, the shortest air route between two cities 11,269 kilometers It appears to be on a route.

You see these two lines on a two-dimensional plane, in the image above. Although the actual shortest distance line in the image appears much longer than the linear distance, it is above the Earth. It is actually much shorter.

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