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Jul 5, 2019 · This route is called a geodesic or great circle. While map projections distort these routes confusing passengers, the great circle path is the shortest path between two far locations. This is why pilots fly polar routes saving time and distance. And this is why pilots often fly over Greenland.
- Loxodromes
Rhumb lines appear on the surface of the Earth as a curved...
- Loxodromes
- Great Circles, Latitudes, and Longitudes
- Mercator Projections and Rhumb Lines
- Earth Convergency
- Why Are Flat Charts Used then?
- The Geopolitical "Curvature"
To understand flight paths, we need to run over some geography, so bear with us. A great circle is a circle on the surface of the earth, the center and radius of which are those of the earth itself. The great circle is an important part of navigationbecause the shortest distance between two points on the earth’s surface is the shortest arc of a gre...
In the early days, to generate a map, a scale model of the earth was wrapped around a cylinder of paper with the scale at the Equator. A light source was then shined through the model. The cylinder was then developed to produce a flat map. Flat maps were great for early sailors and navigators because, with a straight line drawn on the map from posi...
As discussed in the previous paragraph, with a flat map, one could follow a single track to the destination. This was of great benefit when humans used to travel with a simpler navigation system such as a compass. However, as the earth is a sphere, the application of using a chart that represents the earth as flat does not give the best outcome. Th...
The main reason is because of their simplicity. Even pilots use Mercator charts in areas near the Equator where the earth's convergency has little effect. It is also easier to project the earth on a flat sheet of paper rather than using a globe. On a Mercator chart, the rhumb line is straight as it cuts all the meridians at the same angle. However,...
Now that we have learned about the geographical and navigational reasons for curved flight paths let's take a moment to look at the geopolitical implications on the trajectory your flight crew may need to take. Of course, these two are completely different factors, but may still both make a particular flight path look curved on a tracker (in one ca...
Sep 10, 2024 · Here’s why: Geodesics on a Sphere: A great circle is the largest possible circle that can be drawn on a sphere, where the circle’s center is also the center of the sphere. This makes great circles the geodesic or “straight line” path in spherical geometry. Shortest Path: On a flat surface (Euclidean geometry), the shortest distance ...
May 5, 2015 · Long distance flight paths are designed to be the most efficient way to get from point A to point B on the other side of the world. The shortest distance between two points is a straight line, but when a line on a globe is shown on a two-dimensional map, it looks like an arc. The solid line is the actual flight path, the red dashed line is the ...
Apr 29, 2014 · Using a globe and some string is easier. The shortest route between any two points on the earth’s surface is called a great circle. Although air routes look curved on flat maps, airliners do try to fly straight lines between cities. Exact routes vary due to winds, flight rules, and political borders (we don’t fly over certain countries).
Feb 25, 2020 · The reason for this is down to simple mathematics and physics. The circumference of the Earth is a lot further around the equator than it is at higher or lower latitudes towards the poles of the ...
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Jan 22, 2020 · Updated on January 22, 2020. A great circle is defined as any circle drawn on a globe (or another sphere) with a center that includes the center of the globe. Thus, a great circle divides the globe into two equal halves. Since they must follow the circumference of the Earth to divide it, great circles are about 40,000 kilometers (24,854 miles ...
