Is flight path fixed?

A: Flight plans are filed with air traffic control. If there is a reason to avoid an area it is stated in the flight plan. Pilots receive a clearance from ATC and fly that clearance. If there is a reason to change the route, pilots request an amended clearance.



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As the runway in use changes, the flight paths in use will change, and so too do the suburbs affected by aircraft movements. The runway in use at any given time and the direction of the traffic flow will vary primarily according to the wind conditions at the airport.

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How does an airline decide which route to take? — Todd Frederick, Wheat Ridge, Colo. Answer: Often there is preferred routing provided by air traffic control to help smooth the traffic flow. Otherwise the most efficient route, taking into account winds and turbulence forecasts, is filed.

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Reroutes may be issued due to weather, excess volume, active military airspace, or other reasons. Normally, air traffic controllers will clear a flight via the route specified by traffic management. The flight may be rerouted in the air or on the ground.

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Most airlines change the schedule during the spring forward and fall fallback times. And perhaps also at the beginning of summer and beginning of December. They often finalize those changes about 3 months prior to those dates. That's the general guidelines, with tonnes of exceptions.

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A: The tracks across the Atlantic are determined daily to take into account the meteorological conditions of the moment. If there are strong winds, the eastbound tracks will be farther north to take advantage of them, while the westbound flights will be routed south to avoid the headwinds.

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Thanks to the low visibility and undeveloped infrastructure, flying over Antarctica is extremely difficult. Specifically, because of the strong magnetic fields that surround the polar regions, navigating there, no matter how well-equipped the airplane is in terms of instrumentation, can be particularly challenging.

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The FAA is a year-round, 24/7 operation, responsible for 5.3 million square miles of U.S. domestic airspace and 24 million square miles of U.S. airspace over the oceans. There are 43,290 average daily flights in and out of the U.S.

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Varying weather conditions and air traffic control volumes often cause aircraft's flying patterns to differ. Reducing the noise level at your house may be possible through programs such as soundproofing, altered flight paths, and/or noise abatement procedures.

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It is nearly impossible for planes to fly effectively, even if these planes choose to fly in an arc. Another reason that airplanes choose to take curved routes instead of flying over the Pacific is that they are safer and more fuel efficient than a straight line.

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Despite what many people believe, the answer actually has nothing to do with safety. The real answer is because going north may actually provide a shorter route. This is called Great Circle Navigation. Because of the curvature of the Earth, the shortest route between two locations may appear much longer on a flat map.

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There is also a risk of mistaken identity in or near the ZKKP/Pyongyang FIR boundary, as North Korea are threatening to actively shoot down reconnaissance aircraft in their airspace. The US prohibits flights across all North Korean airspace, including the oceanic part of the ZKKP/Pyongyang FIR over the Sea of Japan.

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It's been established that the Pacific Ocean is big ... really big. And with greater distances come greater costs since the plane needs more fuel. Executive Flyers writes that while you could just charge passengers more to fly that distance, this may lead to lots of unhappy customers and airlines losing out on sales.

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Reroutes may be issued due to weather, excess volume, active military airspace, or other reasons. Normally, air traffic controllers will clear a flight via the route specified by traffic management. The flight may be rerouted in the air or on the ground.

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