Why Planes Don't Fly Straight

You ever been on a long flight, can’t sleep, watched as many movies as you can, and still left with nothing to do? Well, time to watch the flight path! And it begs the question: why’s it always so curved? Simple - the earth is round. If you're still not getting it, we're about to tell you everything!

Do you know, for example, why short domestic flights sometimes have zig-zagged routes? Or why you can't use your phone in anything but airplane mode on a flight? Or how planes can take lightning strikes? Oooh, this is one is really interesting! In fact, it’s estimated that for each commercial airplane currently in use, that plane will be hit by lightning at least once per year! So, plane lovers, are you ready to find out something new?

Other videos you might like:

TIMESTAMPS:
Why’s the flight path always so curved? 0:22
Why do short domestic flights sometimes have zig-zagged routes? 1:04
Why can’t I use my phone in anything but airplane mode on a flight? 2:19
Why can’t they make airplanes quieter? 3:12
How can planes take lightning strikes? 4:13
Why can’t they fly in extreme heat? 5:25
Why don’t planes have parachutes for the passengers? 6:11
Why can’t planes be roomier? 7:24

#planes #aviaton #brightside

SUMMARY:
- Maps are flat, unlike the actual planet, which is a sphere. So, the route a plane flies will usually look curved.
- Fancy satellite-based communication systems give airlines the ability to change routes on the fly to account for everything from weather and wind to other planes.
- Back in 1991, the Federal Communications Commission banned in-flight use of wireless devices to prevent network interference.
- Even as technology has advanced greatly from when these rules were put into effect, the FAA has continued to err on the side of caution.
- Any kind of diffuser or muffler to a jet engine would decrease the thrust, and the energy the engine is generating would be wasted.
- Today’s aircraft are designed and built with lightning in mind. More specifically, plane manufacturers are very careful with how the wiring is done. When lightning does strike a plane, it usually strikes an edge of it - like the tip of a wing or the nose - and the electrical current leaves through the tail.
- Heat affects aircraft in different ways. Hot air is not as dense as cool air, so the wings produce less lift. So the hotter the weather, the faster a plane has to go to take off, which requires more runway.
- Skydivers usually jump out of planes moving somewhere between 80 - 110 miles per hour at an altitude of 8,000 - 13,000 feet. By contrast, a commercial jetliner flies around 600 miles per hour at its cruising altitude of 35,000 feet.
- The more seats you can fit, that means more passengers. More passengers equals more tickets sold. More tickets means more money in the airline’s pocket.

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[BRIGHTSIDEOFFICIAL]

Hey there, BrightSiders! When was the last time you flew somewhere by plane?

[elizatan]

Video: why planes don’t fly in a straight line
Me: they don’t???

[sk_cuber]

Man that was quick! Usually have to wait the whole episode for the answer!

[cj]

I can totally agree with the "squish as many passengers in as possible" statement, because i flew on an A380 the other day and with 3-4-3 across its so squishy and the legroom is appalling. However I was extremely surprised with the 787 that I flew on last weekend, I could stretch my legs out with room to spare and the seats were very wide as well, a recommendation for avid aviators. Maybe Qantas is finally using their minds about how to configure their planes, because it was the most comfortable flight i have ever been on in economy, NY-JFK to LAX. Anyhow great video again, cant wait for the next one!

[陳力維]

The Great Circle route is the shortest route. Long-haul flights often fly along the Great Circle. Some military control zones and no-go zones must be bypassed according to flight control. For example, the central mountain range of Taiwan is a large no-fly zone, and early Compared with the passenger aircraft, the new generation of 787, 747-8, A380, A350 is very quiet, the space is very spacious, the space on the plane is very precious, the first class, business class are designed according to the concept of capsule hotel. In the end, I like to watch the flight chart on the plane. It is a very important part of taking a flight abroad. Often, the entire flight is watching the flight chart without watching movies.

[asmrtimestamp]

Answer: Airspace, ATC clearances, Airways, Separation Rules and weather. Short flights that fit on a sectional are usually made of sections of straight lines. Extended flights/international flights look 'curved' due to the reasons listed in the video.

[davidsteiner]

We left California for Saigon and our first stop was in Alaska! The pilot said it was the shortest flight, besides that the plane was scheduled to be cleaned and vacuumed out!

[macey]

Bright Side, your tips and tricks save lifes all the time and this is why you have 29.K subs!!

[YoDay]

You answer the questions which I never had .. cool

[floydjones]

I work in Aviation Operations and we complete the flight plans for the pilots. There's certain Jet routes and Victor routes that planes have to fly when above certain altitudes. Look them up on Google to get a better understanding of why planes don't fly straight routes

[COtrucker]

Also, as for flight paths, transatlantic flights follow the North Atlantic Tracks, a set of 4 skyways that run from northeast Canada to the British Isles. They are changed daily based on weather and tailwinds/headwinds and ensure that the hundreds of flights maintain proper distance to avoid a midair collision. When I flew from Chicago to Vienna earlier this year, the plane initially flew a few hundred miles due east towards Michigan than headed northeast towards Europe.

[michaelcross]

Here is my question, if the black box always survives airplane crashes, why isn't the whole plane made from the same material as the black box?

[rgebrothers]

This channel knows everything in the world thats why i love this channel please more vid keep it up❤️

[tomw]

Haha yeah imagine checking your parachute in as hand luggage! "No sir, I hope I don't have to use it" 😂

[KingOfBanks]

A straight vs. curved line on a map will depend on it being a great circle track OR rhumb line track and if either is plotted on a Lambert Conic Conformal or a Mercator Projection. I think.

[rahatkhan]

For the first time in my life I loved some channel's intro ... Not boring at all

[michuzaki]

Simple Answer: The Earth is a sphere.
Long Answer: This Video
Thank me later.

[mehakizhar]

So informative and amazing video. Thanks

[mingming]

Most of the cabin noise you hear at cruising speed of 400+ knots are actually noise due to air moving around the fuselage.. Basically wind noise from 400+knot wind....There is absolutely nothing that can be done about that except increasing cabin noise insulation which adds more weight.


If anyone has been on an airbus A380, you would notice how actually quiet it is at take off. But once it's at crusing speed, the noise is not that much quieter than most other planes.

[fxz]

Why do airplane dont fly straight? Cos the earth ain't Flat