On An Airplane Why Does It Takes Longer To Fly From East To West
I am a retired United States Air Force pilot and flight instructor, and a few years ago I was sitting in the cockpit of a Boeing 747 airplane. I was 29,000 feet in the sky, flying from New Jersey to Sacramento, California, and then to Hawaii.
The jet stream can have a big impact on how long a plane ride will last.
Aeroprints via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA
Why does it take longer to fly from east to west on an airplane? – Henry D, Age 7, Cambridge, Massachusetts
It took six hours to fly and land the plane safely in Sacramento. After a few hours in California, I continued to Hawaii,which took almost another five hours of flying. That was 11 total hours of flying.
After enjoying the sunshine in Hawaii, it was time to fly back to New Jersey. This trip went much faster...