Is it faster to fly against the spin of the Earth?

First, as the Earth itself rotates, it takes the air with it (thanks, gravity!). That includes the air through which planes fly. At the equator, the Earth spins about twice as fast as a commercial jet can fly. That rate slows the closer you get to the poles, but regardless, it’s always going to be faster than a plane.

Why can’t airplanes fly in space?

As the jet fuel and air burn, it produces thrust to propel the jet through the air. The bottom line is that airplanes can’t fly in space because there is no air in space. Airplanes rely on air to produce both lift and propulsion. Since there isn’t any air in space, airplanes must stay within the Earth’s atmosphere.

Why don’t you feel the earth spinning?

The day-night has carried you around in a grand circle under the stars every day of your life, and yet you don’t feel Earth spinning. Why not? It’s because you and everything else – including Earth’s oceans and atmosphere – are spinning along with the Earth at the same constant speed.

How fast does the Earth spin in an hour?

At Earth’s equator, the speed of Earth’s spin is about 1,000 miles per hour (1,600 km per hour). The day-night has carried you around in a grand circle under the stars every day of your life, and yet you don’t feel Earth spinning.

Why can’t we fly off the Earth?

We cannot fly off the Earth because the rotation of the Earth is terribly slow, so slow it makes the speed of the turtle against the hare to be faster than a rocket. Let’s look at the math. Earth spins at a rotation of 1 per 24 hours. That is a rotation speed of 1/24th per hour.

What is the speed of a plane flying against the Earth?

If you fly in the opposite direction that earth is spinning, basically flying against the spin, the earth is moving toward you with the spin at the speed of 1000 miles per hour. Assuming the plane is flying at 500 mph on its own, why are you not flying toward your destination at the speed of 1500mph?