Why would China's planes flying to the United States prefer to detour through the North Pole rather than across the Pacific Ocean?

Friends who have been to the United States know that when taking a plane from China to the United States, the plane will first go north and then south, make a big circle along the North Pole, and then land in the United States. Many people may have a question, is there something wrong with the design of the China-US flight route? Obviously, crossing the Pacific Ocean is the best path, so why take a long detour?

First of all, let's make a point: Transpacific is not the shortest route for China-US flights, and many people are misled by maps.

If we open the world map and follow the theorem that a straight line is the shortest between two points learned in elementary school, it is easy to draw a wrong conclusion: the shortest distance between China and the United States should be across the Pacific Ocean . But we ignore the fact that the earth is not a plane but a sphere, and there can be no straight line between two points on a sphere. At this time, the distance between two points conforms to the "large arc principle", and the distance between the largest arc of any two points on the sphere is the shortest.

According to this theorem, we will find that the voyage distance of China-US flights from the North Pole is the shortest, and crossing the Pacific Ocean is not the shortest route .

We can use a set of data for comparison. For a China-US flight to bypass the North Pole, the plane needs to fly 11,000 kilometers. If it crosses the Pacific Ocean, it needs to fly 14,000 kilometers. This time, it needs to fly an extra 6,000 kilometers. Some experts estimate that if a China-US flight were to fly from the Pacific Ocean, 24 tons of jet fuel would be wasted on a single flight.

From this point of view, the route of the China-US flight to the Arctic Circle is not a detour, but a detour across the Pacific Ocean.

Another reason for the "bypass of the North Pole" for Sino-US flights is that atmospheric circulation saves flight time.

The air pressure on the earth's surface is regular, generally speaking, the lower the latitude, the higher the air pressure. The high pressure pushes the air toward the low pressure zone, which creates the atmospheric circulation. The North Pole is in a low pressure zone, and the warm and humid air from Southeast Asia will move northward. Flying along this air flow will not only save fuel, but also shorten the flight time.

For air travelers, nothing is more precious than time. When returning from the US to China, the plane will be heading against the wind, so we can see the same route, it will take an extra hour to return from the US to China.

A China-US flight bypassing the North Pole can take advantage of the circulation to travel downwind, so is there no circulation in the Pacific Ocean? Is it also possible to borrow it? This is obviously impossible. The circulation in the Pacific Ocean is too complicated. Let alone using these circulations, it is God's blessing to be able to fly out of these circulations safely.

In addition, there is a complex magnetic field environment over the Pacific Ocean, and the communication equipment of the aircraft is more susceptible to these magnetic fields, which can easily cause flight accidents. During World War II, American pilots were intimidated by the Pacific airspace. Of course, civil aviation aircraft should stay away. The flying environment over the Pacific Ocean is too complicated.

It is safer for the crew and passengers to bypass the North Pole for Sino-US flights. In the event of an accident, the plane can make an emergency landing, which cannot be done over the Pacific Ocean.

We often say that the plane is the safest means of transportation, and the annual traffic accident statistics show that traveling by plane is much safer than traveling by car and train, if it is true in terms of fatalities. Many people think that once something goes wrong with the plane at an altitude of 10,000 meters, the only way left for the crew and passengers is death. This view is extremely wrong.

Today's aircraft have high safety performance, and if there is a problem at high altitudes, they can make an emergency landing. Generally speaking, there are alternate airports on the flight route. If there is a problem, the captain can apply to the airport for a temporary landing. Obviously, there are no such airports in the Pacific Ocean. There are only a few islands in the Pacific Ocean where planes can be forced to land. Most of the airspace is under the vast ocean. If there is a problem with the plane over the Pacific Ocean, the passengers really have to wait to die.

There are many alternate airports for the China-US route from the North Pole. If the situation is really urgent, it can also be forced to land on forests and grasslands, at least to ensure the safety of passengers' lives. The emergency landing on land is also convenient for later rescue. If the plane is forced to land in the Pacific Ocean, it will take several days to wait for rescue. Therefore, from the perspective of safety, it is extremely wise for Sino-US flights to bypass the North Pole.

In addition, the administrative planning of the United States also determines the route of China-US flights.

There is also a state of Alaska in the northwest of the United States , which has two-thirds of the land in the Arctic Circle. If the China-US route is not a direct flight, it will usually land at the airport in Alaska, and many customers will choose to get off the plane from here, transfer or drive to the central region of the United States. Alaska is the largest gaming center in the world, and there must be many tourists visiting this place, so the China-US route cannot bypass Alaska.