Brainstorm Answer: Boston to Ireland and Back Listen in RealAudio Email Your Comments

Dave Thurlow, Host

 

GOES-8 Mid-Upper Level Water Vapor and Infrared Winds

Hi, I'm Dave Thurlow from the Mount Washington Observatory. Well, I'm back from my trip to Ireland and I had a great time. Saw some castles. Bought a sweater. The weather was great.

Now, don't worry, the show hasn't changed to "Dave's Vacation Notebook." I'm just addressing the subject of our latest 'Weather' Notebook Brainstorm.

The Brainstorm was this. Why does it take 5 hours to fly from Boston to Dublin but take 6 hours to fly back? Well, John Batson of Easly, SC, a listener of affiliate station WNCW knew the time difference in flying time had something to do with wind:

"Going west to east, the normal jets are flying with the wind and in the other they're flying against the wind."

Up where jets fly back and forth across the ocean, at about 35,000 feet, the winds just about always blows from west to east. The fastest part of this river of air is the jet stream, and if jets fly with it they have some extra help. So, flying from Boston east to Ireland, you have a tailwind which helps the plane fly faster. From Ireland west to Boston, the plane is fighting a headwind, causing the plan to fly at a slower speed. Now this is true in the northern and southern hemispheres. The jet stream being the strongest in mid latitudes.

But there is seemingly an exception to the rule. The Concorde. For extra credit I asked why the Concorde flies from New York to Paris in 3 hours and 45 minutes and takes the exact same amount of time to fly back to New York? Here's Steve Robichaud, a listener of affiliate station KENW in Portales, NM:

"The Concorde however does not have to fight prevailing winds because being a supersonic transport it's above the prevailing winds. Did I get it right?"

You did get it right, Steve. The Concorde simply flies so high that it is above the winds that affect regular commercial jets.

Thanks to everyone who wrote or called in with their answer. The Weather Notebook is underwritten by Subaru, the beauty of all wheel drive with major support provided by the National Science Foundation.