/sci/ - Science & Math

>>8733495
Ever notice how long flight paths are curved? Airlines want flights to be as direct and quick as possible.
Less time in the air = more trips = more profit.

Flight paths are curved on maps because of the curvature of the Earth.
To demonstrate pick a flight path on the related pic. Bring a piece of string to your local library and hold it tightly to the departure and arrival cities. Your string should match up perfectly to the curved flight paths in the pic.

Eg. New York to Paris flies right over Nova Scotia and Ireland even though they're not directly between them on the map.

Every flight curves away from the equator because that's the fattest part of the planet!