Why dont aeroplanes fly in straight lines?

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MotherBear1975

There are currents in the air, just as in the ocean. They use the known currents... jet streams... to speed the flight.

Neil M

OK let me sort out a basic misconception here. Those things you see flapping their wings - they're not aeroplanes. They are birds.

old know all

Everything about an aeroplane's flight path is controlled. Where it's possible, they fly in straight lines. However, we don't want them crashing into each other. When they come in to land at a busy airport, their approach has to be carefully calulated so that they approach the runway with enough space between them. The only way of slowing them down is to make them go a longer way around.

Yahia M

They more or less do fly in a straight line!!! However, setting a specific flight path makes things more uniform and it helps the ground control to follow the planes with instruction to their destination of course taking into account other airlines intersections, etc. Or else the skies would be a mess!!

I am a Boeing 747 (jumbo jet) flight simulator pilot by the way!!

marizani

Plane flights are generally a combination of headings issued by air traffic control (known as vectors, i.e. vector addition and vector resolution),jet routes or airways. Here, Newton's laws of motion come into play. Planes are held up by the way air pressure rearranges itself when air flows over the wing of a plane.
There would be utter chaos if all planes took off and went in a direct line to their destinations.

blondie

'Planes don't fly in straight lines because the earth is round.

Supersammy :o)

The earth is round and there's wind. :o)

Sonoran Grill

They have to follow HIgh Altitude Paths and also follow Standard Routes which are also set by Airlines.
For example a British Airways flight from Heathrow to Bombay (Mumbai) will be quicker if they flew over Iraq into India.
But due to circumstances, they dont
So they have Flight Plans to follow

Mr Cynical

the sky is quite busy so its not always possible to go the shortest straightest route

mjbayunl

Because the FAA has rules and regulations as to which aircraft get to fly in what airspace, at what time. Also Airline pilots try to set a path that will avoid known turbulence.

IceTrojan

Because that plane would probably eventuall run into another plane that's going straight as well. Those flightpaths aren't random... they're set up as "lanes" in the sky.

only p

There are many factors like no fly zones, avoiding storms, and the fact that the earth is round so a straight path still looks circular when drawn.

Bow Hunter

They have to account for wind speed and direction. The pilot told us on a flight that the wind speeds were nearing 220 mph from right to left and we had to fly more west to get to our southwest destination. We went about 600 miles out of the way to make up for the wind.

vanamont7

Yeah really! How bout some loops! Immelman turns! Lazy eights! Barrel rolls! Specially if it's an intercontinental flight! You might be sitting next to some California fat slob exuding body odor for eight hours or more, people! Let's break up the monotony! Give the pilot a couple beers, maybe! We're onto the fact it's all computer navigation/sustained flight anywho! Anytime these guys go manual bunches of bad stuff happens!

dukalink6000

Air turbulance and weather patterns affect flight as well. And by taking advantage of hte jet stream, can shave some time off that flight

zecyor

1) When they take off, they typically fly INTO the wind.
2) They follow flight paths based on navigation points (VORs) on the ground like how highways go through major towns between each other.
3) The gather data from other pilots to fly around inclement weather.
4) Flight paths are very regimented which prevent collision. Flight levels must be attained before some turns can be made.
5) Avoid the Bermuda Triangle ;-p

dooglepuff

some planes aren't allowed to enter certain airspace for security reasons also bear in mind there are thousand of plane airborne at any given time and they cant all use the same route or they would crash so they have to fly various heights and directions to avoid a collision.

guess123

different air currents.. and they would crash into eachother!

Erik T*****

The curvature of the earth, the wind, the weather, and the fuel.

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