Flight

How flying works

Why flight paths curve, why planes cruise at 35,000 feet, why flying east is faster, how airport codes work, and how long flights really take.

  1. Surya Narayanan · · 3 min readThe longest flights in the world, by distanceThe longest nonstop flights cover over 14,000 km and last up to 19 hours. Ten of the longest routes of recent years, ranked by distance, and what makes them possible.Read
  2. Surya Narayanan · · 3 min readHow long are flights? 30 popular routes timedFlight times for 30 popular routes across the Atlantic, North America, Europe, Asia and long-haul, with distances and time differences, and why schedules vary.Read
  3. Surya Narayanan · · 3 min readWhy flying east is faster than flying westEastbound flights ride the jet stream; westbound ones fight it. How strong it is, how much time it can save, and why it isn't the Earth's spin.Read
  4. Surya Narayanan · · 3 min readWhy flight paths look curved on a mapPlanes fly great circles, the shortest paths on a sphere, which look curved on flat maps. Why, how much longer a 'straight' route would be, and why real tracks differ.Read
  5. Surya Narayanan · · 3 min readWhy pilots use knots and nautical milesA nautical mile was one minute of latitude, and a knot is one nautical mile an hour. Where the units come from, why aviation kept them, and how they convert.Read
  6. Surya Narayanan · · 3 min readWhy planes cruise at 35,000 feetAirliners cruise around 35,000 feet because thin air means less drag and better fuel economy, while still giving enough lift. Why not higher, and why odd and even levels.Read
  7. Surya Narayanan · · 2 min readHow airport codes work (and why Toronto is YYZ)Airport codes are three letters from IATA, but many hide old names and rules. IATA vs ICAO codes, why LAX has an X, why Newark is EWR and why Canada uses Y.Read
  8. Surya Narayanan · · 3 min readHow long a layover do you need?Allow an hour for domestic connections, 90 minutes international, and three hours on separate tickets. What minimum connection times mean, and how to make tight ones.Read
  9. Surya Narayanan · · 3 min readWhat is the carbon footprint of a flight?A return flight across the Atlantic emits over a tonne of CO2e per economy passenger. How flight emissions are calculated, what non-CO2 effects add, and how to cut them.Read
  10. Surya Narayanan · · 3 min readIs turbulence dangerous? What's really going onTurbulence is rarely a danger to the plane, which is built for far worse; the risk is to people not strapped in. What causes it, how strong it gets, and how to cope.Read

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