Response to Rudy on eastward flights

Response to Rudy on eastward flights

I write this letter in response to Rudy Hendra of Bandung, who
seems confused as to why commercial carriers fly eastward to the
U.S. from Southeast Asia (The Jakarta Post, Nov. 27, Why fly
eastward to reach the U.S.?). He wondered, specifically, if the
Earth's rotation would hinder eastward flights.

The short and sweet answer is that the Earth's rotation of
5,000 meters per second includes the atmosphere, in which planes
fly, and thus does not affect commercial air travel (at just
35,000 feet usually) in any way whatsoever.

As the plane is still in the atmosphere, thus still in the
"frame", all of which moves together, the rotation does not
affect the plane.

As far as flying first to Japan, that is simply because the
earth a is big sphere (actually more of an ellipsoid) and the
shortest distance between two points on either side of that
ellipsoid often is in a great curved route. Take a desk globe and
string and try it out. Another experiment that is loads of fun is
to take a ball, and while traveling at high speed down the toll
road in an enclosed Kijang, toss it up in the air say 30
centimeters. It will go straight up and straight down, because
you and the ball are moving with the car. It's fun for the whole
family. I do it all the time.

Another good one is to stand on the ground outside and jump up
as high as you can. Let's say you manage to stay off the surface
of the earth for a half second. If we weren't part of the
atmosphere of the earth, as a plane still is even at 35,000 feet,
then the ground beneath you would have moved 2,500 meters.
(5000m/sec / 2).

And lastly, the distance between Jakarta and Minneapolis,
which is 13 hours time difference from Jakarta, is about 9,300
miles when traveling eastward, but is over 11,000 miles when
traveling westward.

Another factor that was not queried is that there are strong
winds up at 35,000 feet -- up to 100 mph -- but that may be a
discussion for another day.

TRAVIS BREKLE, Jakarta