Suppose I want to fly a plane from a mythical airport at the equator and 0 degrees longitude to another mythical airport at the equator and 180 degrees longitude.
Which direction should I fly?
And why?
Earth's rotation shouldn't matter.
Weather systems might. A good tail/head wind would change things.
Depends on the plane.
If you can open a hyperspace window, then DOWN would be the shortest route, otherwise, I would go North or South.
Loyal
Scott Zelenak, post: 395098, member: 327 wrote: Suppose I want to fly a plane from a mythical airport at the equator and 0 degrees longitude to another mythical airport at the equator and 180 degrees longitude.
Which direction should I fly?
And why?
That's an easy one. West., if the objective is to take the shortest time. You don't say that, though, If there's some other objective, let us know. The answer might be different. To fly the shortest distance, the answer would be directly North or directly South (until either pole is reached, then directly South or North respectively.
rfc, post: 395101, member: 8882 wrote: That's an easy one. West.
Excellent...I didn't think of that variable!
Loyal
Is the airplane on a treadmill which exactly matches the speed of the wheels?
Flying west you will lose a day.
Flying east and you should arrive around the same day and time you left.
A Harris, post: 395107, member: 81 wrote: Flying west you will lose a day.
Flying east and you should arrive around the same day and time you left.
Wow, that's a FAST plane ya got there.
Loyal
Thataway!!!!!!!! No matter the route you take the view at the target airport will look about the same no matter what direction you look.
A Harris, post: 395107, member: 81 wrote: Flying west you will lose a day.
Flying east and you should arrive around the same day and time you left.
too funny!
I say either due east or west. Any other heading and you end up at one of the poles!
Google says it's about 20020 KM
did you know that there's an app that does your math homework?
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The secret is to cross International Dateline 😎
Scott Zelenak, post: 395098, member: 327 wrote: Suppose I want to fly a plane from a mythical airport at the equator and 0 degrees longitude to another mythical airport at the equator and 180 degrees longitude.
Which direction should I fly?
And why?
Scott,
First we have to know, do you want to go to 180å¡ East or 180å¡ West longitude?
Paul in PA
Mark O, post: 395116, member: 11591 wrote: I say either due east or west. Any other heading and you end up at one of the poles!
Not if you keep flying. Besides, say you started off flying 045 degrees true. You wouldn't end up at a pole. The only way to end up at a pole is to fly 000 or 180, then stop at the pole.
Paul in PA, post: 395137, member: 236 wrote: Scott,
First we have to know, do you want to go to 180å¡ East or 180å¡ West longitude?
Paul in PA
Both the same: the IDL.
RFC,
Then one would have to fly both ways.
Paul in PA
rfc, post: 395150, member: 8882 wrote: Not if you keep flying. Besides, say you started off flying 045 degrees true. You wouldn't end up at a pole. The only way to end up at a pole is to fly 000 or 180, then stop at the pole.
Sorry,
If you fly at 45å¡ true you will eventually have a wingtip over the pole and after a few more laps you would be over the pole.
If you started at 45å¡ on a great circle route one would be continually changing the true direction.
It is simple Geodesy, but then again, you do not have a formal education.
Paul in PA
Constant bearing courses are rhumb lines, or loxodromes. On a spherical earth, they lead to a pole if followed far enough. It doesn't matter if the course is, say, 45 degrees true or 45 degrees magnetic; both will ultimately to to a pole, but they will follow different tracks.
Look here for more information: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhumb_line
The result on an ellipsoidal earth is left as an exercise.
rfc, post: 395150, member: 8882 wrote: Not if you keep flying. Besides, say you started off flying 045 degrees true. You wouldn't end up at a pole. The only way to end up at a pole is to fly 000 or 180, then stop at the pole.
You would have to fly north until you get to the pole then, turn a 360å¡ angle and go south. 😉