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Why do planes flying over China use zigzag routes instead of flying straight?

  • December 8, 2023
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When we get on the plane and look out the window at the sky, we can see that the route changes direction occasionally, but these are usually It’s

Why do planes flying over China use zigzag routes instead of flying straight?

When we get on the plane and look out the window at the sky, we can see that the route changes direction occasionally, but these are usually It’s not at a level that would get our attention. But if you take an intercity flight in China, you may feel dizzy!

If you are ready for this situation The reason why it is exclusive to China is Let’s look at the reason you won’t think about even if you think about it for forty years.

First, let’s look at how flight paths are set.

radar

When we get on a plane, it is as if the pilots take the rightmost route from the air to get from one place to another. This is the shortest route We think like. Although we don’t see it, it is in fact in the air. There are roads just like highways. and when aircraft communicate their planned route to air traffic controllers, that route includes many waypoints that pass through or near them while navigating.

From these points all over the world there are thousands and even some we know nothing about. “UTOOB (YouTube), EBAYE (Ebay), WIKID PAHTI (Wikipedia)” They have nice 5 letter names, such as.

These points are often brought together into long, crisscrossing airways.

Although there are certain points, it is not mandatory for aircraft to always follow these routes. Pilots; direction, speed, altitude change They can use these waypoints at the beginning and end of the flight for, among other things: They then continue to the goal by choosing the shortest possible route.

For this reason, zigzag paths can arise Complex routes arise in China, It’s not just caused by points. There’s a reason that’s much stranger and probably one that none of us have ever heard of before.

Governments own the sky!

Chinese

Every government owns a share of the sky. This “property” ranges from 30 to 160 km above sea level, but there is no real legal limit. Most governments, for airplanes At a fraction of the cost of Wi-Fi Even if they agree to open their airspace to commercial use, there may still be places where they don’t want to fly with anyone.

However, these portions are generally limited to amounts such as 10%. Although sometimes minor restrictions don’t seem to have a major impact on the routes It can fill a straight route with zigzags.

This is where China’s real problem comes from.

card

Only 20% to 30% of China’s airspace allows civil aviation. The remaining 70%-80% belongs to the Chinese military. That’s why airplanes instead of following a straight route They constantly have to take chaotic routes.

As a result, not only are flight times extended, but also It also entails delays and cancellations. In fact, every day ⅓ of scheduled flights are delayed. However, it is said that the Chinese government is trying to reserve some of the sky for civil aviation.

Sources: South China Morning Post, Eightify

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