Transatlantic flight times...

noddyflavin

Ain't it faster to fly home from say, New York than to fly there because of tail winds?...

Caliden

No.

Mena

Actually it is.

cml387

noddyflavin wrote: »

Ain't it faster to fly home from say, New York than to fly there because of tail winds?...

Mostly yes,unless the jetstream is so far north or south that it can't be used.

TeddyTedson

Yea, they save fuel that way too. It should be cheaper!

dxhound2005

noddyflavin wrote: »

Ain't it faster to fly home from say, New York than to fly there because of tail winds?...

Generally yes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Atlantic_Tracks

Tracks to Europe use the jetstream to their advantage by routing along the strongest tailwinds. Because of the difference in ground speed caused by the jetstream, westbound flights tend to be longer in duration than their eastbound counterparts.

starlit

I can't remember but yes one way is quicker than the other I think. Think you are right OP. Its been a few years since I were in the big Apple.

bwatson

Yeah it can make quite a big difference, I think potentially an hour and a half or so quicker than the outbound flight (which it was close to flying back from NC a few times). Strangely though when I was flying back from the states in the summer it took longer than it did to get there.

biko

Actually they just fly straight up and wait for the earth to rotate a bit, then simply land again in the new spot.

cml387

biko wrote: »

Actually they just fly straight up and wait for the earth to rotate a bit, then simply land again in the new spot.

Concorde used to chase the sun,more or less keeping up with the earth's rotation.So you are correct in a strange sort of way.

the keen edge

It's true. Wherever I go, I go there eastwards.

Carrick on Shannon via Bangkok, Ballina via Tokyo, Longford via Singapore.

I've saved myself a small fortune through the years.

cml387

the keen edge wrote: »

It's true. Wherever I go, I go there eastwards.

Carrick on Shannon via Bangkok, Ballina via Tokyo, Longford via Singapore.

I've saved myself a small fortune through the years.

That's another sort of tail wind.

JerryHandbag

Flew to New York last year and the flight home was about an hour quicker than going out.

skyflyer

Of course. When I flew to JFK it took over 7 hours, but amazingly, it only took just under 5 hours coming back. I was shocked that we got home so quickly.

Caliden

Domo230 wrote: »

If theres a place where you should go to get the opinion of experienced pilots, it's Afterhours.

It's that co-pilot 'google' that you got to watch out for

skyflyer

Or here... Click!

Mr.Biscuits

Technically, if a plane's maximum take-off weight (MTOW) is 985000 pounds (442253 kg) while the plane flys at precisely 421kmph, the cruising altitude a steady 47,000ft and the wind velocity doesn't rise above the atmospheric rate, then yore ma will always let me take her up the arse.

the keen edge

Mr.Biscuits wrote: »

Technically, if a plane's maximum take-off weight (MTOW) is 985000 pounds (442253 kg) while the plane flys at precisely 421kmph, the cruising altitude a steady 47,000ft and the wind velocity doesn't rise above the atmospheric rate, then yore ma will always let me take her up the arse.

Get off-line Dad. You're boring people again, as usual.

Sar_Bear

noddyflavin wrote: »

Ain't it faster to fly home from say, New York than to fly there because of tail winds?...

Yup. I frequently fly from Dublin to Chicago. It's 8 hours over, 7/6 hours on the way home to Dublin.

bnt

Flying back from Houston in 2009, it was over two hours shorter than the outward leg. At one point, according to the flight info display, we hit over 1100 km/h ground speed, meaning about 200 km/h tail wind. That would have been supersonic if it had been air speed. (Mach 1 at 11,000m = 1062 km/h).

Big Nasty

You can leave Dublin at 12pm and arrive in NY at 2pm, return can take nearly 10hrs.

Giselle

Why does the jet-lag hit so much worse on the return though? I'm never jet-lagged outbound but I'm destroyed for days when I get back.

cocoshovel

7 hours over, 5 hours back. give or take a little bit

Born to Die

I drove from Sligo to Galway and back today.
2.5 hours Sligo to Galway
3.5 hours Galway to Sligo

I think it was longer going back because it was uphill.

dxhound2005

Mr.Biscuits wrote: »

Technically, if a plane's maximum take-off weight (MTOW) is 985000 pounds (442253 kg) while the plane flys at precisely 421kmph, the cruising altitude a steady 47,000ft and the wind velocity doesn't rise above the atmospheric rate, then yore ma will always let me take her up the arse.

Commercial airliners are not allowed above 42,000 feet.

IM0

its faster, but whatever, the flight time still sucks balls to LA 10-12hrs

ProudDUB

noddyflavin wrote: »

Ain't it faster to fly home from say, New York than to fly there because of tail winds?...

Yep. Lived in the US for 17 years. Came home several times a year. The trip TO here (regardless of where I was flying from, Atlanta, New York, Chicago etc) was always longer than the return leg.

Why does the jet-lag hit so much worse on the return though? I'm never jet-lagged outbound but I'm destroyed for days when I get back.

Wouldn't mind knowing that too. My sleep pattern would be shattered for days after I'd get here, but going back to the US, I was perfectly fine the next day. Didn't matter what I did, sleep on the plane, don't sleep on the plane, take a nap when you get to Ireland, don't take a nap, I was fcuked either way.

number10a

Giselle wrote: »

Why does the jet-lag hit so much worse on the return though? I'm never jet-lagged outbound but I'm destroyed for days when I get back.

Because usually you leave the US in the evening and arrive in Ireland the morning after at all hours, resulting in a night with no sleep, or nearly no sleep, and you still have a whole day to get through before it's bedtime again. On the way out to the US, you usually leave in the morning and arrive around lunchtime and you just go to bed a bit later than before. You just have the "It's been a long day" feeling going over, but coming back it's like going straight from evening to morning with no night.

cocoshovel

Ive experienced jet lag going over to the states, which was absolutely horrible but on the way back it was fine. Maybe because our flight arrived here at 2am or so and I got some sleep.

London heathrows youtube channel uploaded a video that tells you how to beat jet leg. Im going to try it next month on a 15 hour flight/s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_dzXLEvqQU

anybody have any tips on how to beat it?

IM0

cocoshovel wrote: »

Ive experienced jet lag going over to the states, which was absolutely horrible but on the way back it was fine. Maybe because our flight arrived here at 2am or so and I got some sleep.

London heathrows youtube channel uploaded a video that tells you how to beat jet leg. Im going to try it next month on a 15 hour flight/s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_dzXLEvqQU

anybody have any tips on how to beat it?

adjust to the time zone change before the day of your flight, or try to get a flight which arrives at night time where you are going so you can sleep when you get there and slip nice and easily into the new timezone

cocoshovel

IM0 wrote: »

adjust to the time zone change before the day of your flight, or try to get a flight which arrives at night time where you are going so you can sleep when you get there and slip nice and easily into the new timezone

I have a flight that leaves at 9:30am Irish time, and arrives at the destination at 8:30am local time. I have to leave my house at 3:30am to get the bus to the airport. Its going to be hard to adjust to that!

ProudDUB

Hands cocoshovel some Valium and sleeping tablets.

number10a wrote: »

Because usually you leave the US in the evening and arrive in Ireland the morning after at all hours, resulting in a night with no sleep, or nearly no sleep, and you still have a whole day to get through before it's bedtime again. On the way out to the US, you usually leave in the morning and arrive around lunchtime and you just go to bed a bit later than before. You just have the "It's been a long day" feeling going over, but coming back it's like going straight from evening to morning with no night.

I don't think it is that simple. I have staggered thru many of those loooong hard days, where I land in Dublin at 8am, after not sleeping on the plane on the way over. I force myself to stay awake until bedtime. I go to bed at 9/10pm absolutely knackered. I am asleep before my head hits the pillow.

But then I am wide awake again at 2am, coz it is 7am back in the US and that is the time that my body clock is used to getting up at to go to work. Spend the next 5 hours tossing and turning trying to get to get back to sleep, but no joy. Before you know it it is 9am. The day starts for reals, and you HAVE to get up and do whatever it is you have to do. Another day totally knackered. You go to bed at bedtime, but once again you are wide awake at 2am. Rinse and repeat. It's effing brutal !

number10a

ProudDUB wrote: »

I don't think it is that simple. I have staggered thru many of those loooong hard days, where I land in Dublin at 8am, after not sleeping on the plane on the way over. I force myself to stay awake until bedtime. I go to bed at 9/10pm absolutely knackered. I am asleep before my head hits the pillow.

But then I am wide awake again at 2am, coz it is 7am back in the US and that is the time that my body clock is used to getting up at to go to work. Spend the next 5 hours tossing and turning trying to get to get back to sleep, but no joy. Before you know it it is 9am. The day starts for reals, and you HAVE to get up and do whatever it is you have to do. Another day totally knackered. You go to bed at bedtime, but once again you are wide awake at 2am. Rinse and repeat. It's effing brutal !

That can't be it. When it's 2am here it's 9pm in the US so you should be starting to feel sleepy then, not rearing to go. I dunno. It's one of life's evil mysteries.