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Geordie Ross
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Do aircraft need to factor in the coriolis effect when flying?
cjl said:Not the way that webpage shows, no. The atmosphere rotates with the earth, so that pretty much takes care of any direct influence the coriolis effect would have (since the plane moves within the atmosphere, not within a fixed inertial frame independent of the Earth's rotation). The Coriolis effect does strongly influence wind currents though, so the aircraft does need to factor those in. In that way, it has a significant indirect effect.
sophiecentaur said:The situation is different for ICBMs and probably for very high altitude hypersonic craft, which are on the very atmospheric fringe.
cjl said:Absolutely. Coriolis will have a significant effect on the trajectory of long-range artillery and ballistic missiles, since they are far less coupled to the atmosphere than aircraft.
Wrong! You always steer "into the wind". Wind vector triangles are plotted to determine what heading must be steered in order to follow a particular course.willem2 said:Suppose you have a plane, flying from the equator, straight north to the northpole. The nose of the plane points north all of the time.
There is also a vertical component, which slightly affects the required lift and thus fuel consumption.willem2 said:There will be a coriolis acceleration of 2 v x ω to the right
The Coriolis effect is a phenomenon caused by the Earth's rotation that affects the movement of objects on its surface. In the Northern Hemisphere, objects appear to be deflected to the right while in the Southern Hemisphere they appear to be deflected to the left. This can impact air travel by causing flights to take longer or shorter routes, depending on the direction of travel.
The Coriolis effect is most noticeable over long distances because the Earth's rotation is relatively slow compared to the speed of objects moving on its surface. For example, a plane traveling at 500 mph will only experience a slight deflection due to the Coriolis effect, whereas a hurricane moving at a slower speed over thousands of miles will be significantly impacted by it.
Yes, the Coriolis effect can impact the direction of flights. In the Northern Hemisphere, flights traveling eastward may appear to be deflected to the right, causing them to take a more southerly route. Conversely, flights traveling westward may appear to be deflected to the left, causing them to take a more northerly route.
Yes, the Coriolis effect can impact flight times. Flights traveling eastward in the Northern Hemisphere may take longer due to the deflection to the right, while flights traveling westward may take shorter due to the deflection to the left. This effect is reversed in the Southern Hemisphere.
Yes, there are many other factors that can affect air travel, such as wind patterns, air pressure systems, and Earth's magnetic field. These factors can also impact the direction and speed of flights, and pilots must take them into account when planning their routes for optimal efficiency and safety.