Earths rotation

Okay, idle mind, too much time on my hands etc. But I was watching TV tonight,
and they were talking about air planes, 600mph, 12 hour flight to the mid-east
and I got to wondering. What effect, if any, does the earths rotation have on
air flight? My line of thought was this: If an object on earth is moving
approximately 1,000 mph (if my math is right, the earth is APPROX. 24,000 miles
in circumference and makes one revolution in 24 hours...) Why is it that once a
plane lifts off the ground and starts flying east at 600 MPH, that it doesn't
lose 400 MPH because of the speed difference. Or why is it tnat if the plane
lifts off and flies west at 600 MPH, it doesn't cover 1600 miles in an hour,
again, due to the speed of the earths rotation. Does my question even make
sense? Is it like a rocket laucnhed from Canaveral, the extra 1,000 MPH boost
just stays with the plane the whole trip? Just got wondering. Thanks for
humoring me.

wrote:
Okay, idle mind, too much time on my hands etc. But I was watching TV tonight,
and they were talking about air planes, 600mph, 12 hour flight to the mid-east
and I got to wondering. What effect, if any, does the earths rotation have on
air flight? My line of thought was this: If an object on earth is moving
approximately 1,000 mph (if my math is right, the earth is APPROX. 24,000 miles
in circumference and makes one revolution in 24 hours...) Why is it that once a
plane lifts off the ground and starts flying east at 600 MPH, that it doesn't
lose 400 MPH because of the speed difference.

Because the winds its flying through move with the Earth's surface, at
least till you get up near the Jet Streams.
If they didn't, we would have a 1,000 mph wind blowing from the east all
the time at the equator, which would be a entirely new way to cause
deforestation of the Amazonian rain forest - by blowing it all over the
Andes and into the Pacific Ocean. :-)

Or why is it tnat if the plane
lifts off and flies west at 600 MPH, it doesn't cover 1600 miles in an hour,
again, due to the speed of the earths rotation. Does my question even make
sense? Is it like a rocket laucnhed from Canaveral, the extra 1,000 MPH boost
just stays with the plane the whole trip? Just got wondering. Thanks for
humoring me.


Way back in the 1930's someone suggested making a huge passenger
helicopter to fly straight up to high altitude and stay their motionless
while the Earth's surface rotated enough underneath it for it to descend
at its destination.
Nice idea but it wouldn't work.
On the other hand, the Jet Streams can add significant range to a
aircraft if it's flying in their direction of movement, or hamper its
range if it is flying against them: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jet_stream

Pat

On Jan 26, 7:06�am, Pat Flannery wrote:
wrote:
Okay, idle mind, too much time on my hands etc. But I was watching TV tonight,
and they were talking about air planes, 600mph, 12 hour flight to the mid-east
and I got to wondering. What effect, if any, does the earths rotation have on
air flight? My line of thought was this: If an object on earth is moving
approximately 1,000 mph (if my math is right, the earth is APPROX. 24,000 miles
in circumference and makes one revolution in 24 hours...) Why is it that once a
plane lifts off the ground and starts flying east at 600 MPH, that it doesn't
lose 400 MPH because of the speed difference.

Because the winds its flying through move with the Earth's surface, at
least till you get up near the Jet Streams.
If they didn't, we would have a 1,000 mph wind blowing from the east all
the time at the equator, which would be a entirely new way to cause
deforestation of the Amazonian rain forest - by blowing it all over the
Andes and into the Pacific Ocean. :-)

�Or why is it tnat if the plane
lifts off and flies west at 600 MPH, it doesn't cover 1600 miles in an hour,
again, due to the speed of the earths rotation. Does my question even make
sense? Is it like a rocket laucnhed from Canaveral, the extra 1,000 MPH boost
just stays with the plane the whole trip? Just got wondering. Thanks for
humoring me.

Way back in the 1930's someone suggested making a huge passenger
helicopter to fly straight up to high altitude and stay their motionless
while the Earth's surface rotated enough underneath it for it to descend
at its destination.
Nice idea but it wouldn't work.
On the other hand, the Jet Streams can add significant range to a
aircraft if it's flying in their direction of movement, or hamper its
range if it is flying against them:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jet_stream

Pat

yeah flew once phoenix to pittsburgh in half the normal time.

but the first leg pittsburgh to phoenix took a couiple hours actual
flying time extra

all because of winds

On Mon, 26 Jan 2009 02:04:59 -0500, in a place far, far away,
made the phosphor on my monitor glow in such a
way as to indicate that:

Okay, idle mind, too much time on my hands etc. But I was watching TV tonight,
and they were talking about air planes, 600mph, 12 hour flight to the mid-east
and I got to wondering. What effect, if any, does the earths rotation have on
air flight? My line of thought was this: If an object on earth is moving
approximately 1,000 mph (if my math is right, the earth is APPROX. 24,000 miles
in circumference and makes one revolution in 24 hours...) Why is it that once a
plane lifts off the ground and starts flying east at 600 MPH, that it doesn't
lose 400 MPH because of the speed difference. Or why is it tnat if the plane
lifts off and flies west at 600 MPH, it doesn't cover 1600 miles in an hour,
again, due to the speed of the earths rotation. Does my question even make
sense? Is it like a rocket laucnhed from Canaveral, the extra 1,000 MPH boost
just stays with the plane the whole trip? Just got wondering. Thanks for
humoring me.

Because the atmosphere (mostly) turns with the earth. To the degree
that it doesn't (e.g., the jet stream) planes actually do make better
time going west than east.