Does Earth rotation affect flight time?

In the frame of reference of the airplane, everything is stationary. Similarly, the airplane is already moving along with the surface of the Earth before it takes off. The rotation of the Earth has no direct significant effect on flight times in either direction.
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Is it faster to fly with the rotation of the Earth?

First, as the Earth itself rotates, it takes the air with it (thanks, gravity!). That includes the air through which planes fly. At the equator, the Earth spins about twice as fast as a commercial jet can fly. That rate slows the closer you get to the poles, but regardless, it's always going to be faster than a plane.
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Why does it take longer to fly from east to west?

The main reason for the difference in travel time is due to the jet stream. The jet stream is high altitude wind that blows from the west to the east across the globe. Airplanes fly into the jet stream at 30,000 feet and then travel with these winds. You can watch a Breakdown about the jet stream here.
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How does the Earth's rotation affect time?

Earth's rotation is slowing slightly with time; thus, a day was shorter in the past. This is due to the tidal effects the Moon has on Earth's rotation. Atomic clocks show that a modern-day is longer by about 1.7 milliseconds than a century ago, slowly increasing the rate at which UTC is adjusted by leap seconds.
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How does the rotation of the Earth affect global air circulation?

But because the Earth rotates, circulating air is deflected. Instead of circulating in a straight pattern, the air deflects toward the right in the Northern Hemisphere and toward the left in the Southern Hemisphere, resulting in curved paths. This deflection is called the Coriolis effect.
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Does Earth's Rotation affect the Airplanes Speed



What would happen if the Earth rotated faster?

An increase in Earth's rotational speed could have various impacts on life, ranging from increased earthquakes and tsunamis to a shortening of the length of the day. People could be floating in central Africa while the polar ice might melt extremely fast, submerging most parts of the world.
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Why do planes not fly over the Pacific?

Most commercial airlines, that operate between East Asia and the Americas, do not fly over the Pacific Ocean because of cost and safety concerns, including turbulent weather, which can be dangerous to fly over.
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Why can't you fly the other way to Australia?

The primary reason airplanes don't fly over the Pacific Ocean is because curved routes are shorter than straight routes. Flat maps are somewhat confusing because the Earth itself isn't flat. Rather, it's spherical.
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Why does it take so long to fly to Hawaii from California?

But while Hawaii is southwest of the mainland United States, the curve of California's coastline means that Hawaii is actually closer to northern cities like San Francisco than it is from southern cities like San Diego. Flying out of a northern city does mean a slightly shorter flight.
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Why is it slower to fly west?

Plane travel times do often differ depending on the direction of travel, but this is caused by wind currents in the upper atmosphere called jet streams, and in the northern hemisphere it has a lengthening effect on flights from East to West.
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Why do planes fly faster going east?

The real reason flights from west to east are quicker is down to jet streams. Jet streams are air pockets high up in the Earth's atmosphere which move in a wavy pattern from west to east. Should a plane find itself in a jet stream then it will travel at a faster speed with greater ease.
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Is it easier to fly east or west?

Experienced air travelers know that flying east across time zones is harder than flying west, because traveling east shortens the days while traveling west lengthens them. It means your circadian rhythm needs to do more to catch up.
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Can a helicopter fly from California to Hawaii?

A fleet of jets, helicopters, seaplanes, and turboprops are available to fly you and your guests to any destination. With BLADE's renowned jet charter service, you can fly between Los Angeles and Hawaii and enjoy an unmatched travel experience.
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Is Hawaii closer to Mexico or California?

While it is commonly (but mistakenly) believed that the state of California is closest to Hawaii, it is in fact the state of Alaska that is closest to Hawaii.
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How many hours does it take to fly to Japan?

The total flight duration from United States to Japan is 13 hours. This assumes an average flight speed for a commercial airliner of 500 mph, which is equivalent to 805 km/h or 434 knots. It also adds an extra 30 minutes for take-off and landing. Your exact time may vary depending on wind speeds.
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Why do pilots say Roger?

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) officially defines the word "roger" to mean "I have received all of your transmission." For example, a pilot would say "roger" in response to an advisory from Air Traffic Control.
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Why don't we fly from Alaska to Russia?

The smaller of these granite islands is American. These islands can be used as a resting point during a crossing of the Bering Strait, however, being in the proximity of Russia's Big Diomede Island will reduce the chance of a successful crossing from Alaska to Russia.
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Why don't they put parachutes on planes?

Short answer: There are a few reasons, including the lack of parachute training of passengers, high speed of the airplane, cold temperatures at that altitude, non-conducive design of commercial planes and the cost spike, which make putting parachutes onboard commercial airplanes unviable.
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Why does it take longer to fly back from Hawaii?

The reason it took so much longer to fly back is the jet stream, a river of fast-moving air high up in the sky. Jet streams are usually about 100 miles wide. They can be thousands of miles long and are found all over the earth. To be called a jet stream, the wind must be moving faster than 60 mph.
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Do planes fly over Everest?

Most scheduled airlines avoid taking fly routes over Mount Everest. Jet aircraft fly at an altitude from 35000 to 40000 feet; the height of Mt. Everest is inside the jet plane's cruising altitude. To ensure a safe distance above the Himalayas, the pilots are required to fly into the lower portion of the stratosphere.
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Why can we not fly over the North Pole?

Things only get more challenging from there. The polar regions have special navigation concerns in the form of the magnetic fields which permeate them. These can make it difficult for planes to navigate because the polar areas interfere with magnetic navigational tools.
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Why is the Earth spinning faster in 2021?

This could mean climate change may impact the rotation of the planet. In fact, according to New Scientist, there is some proven correlation between global warming and a faster rotation. This is due to melting ice caps and rising oceans, which creates a change in the planet's distribution of mass.
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What would happen if the Earth stopped spinning for 1 second?

"It would kill everyone on Earth. People would be flying out of windows and that would be just a bad day on Earth," Tyson had added. In addition to this, Tyson also clarified that if everyone on Earth accomplishes to slow down during such an event, along with the planet, then no one would get hurt.
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Can private jets fly to Hawaii?

Yes, some of them can. The Pacific Ocean is a massive body of water, which means only certain larger aircraft are suitable for those missions. When you speak to a private flight advisor, they can help you select either a super-mid or heavy jet to charter for a Hawaiian vacation.
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