What Is the Jet Stream Wind Speed Affecting East-West Flight Durations?

[jdlenner]

A airplane flight at 2700 miles is schduled to take 50 min longer westward than eastward. THe airspeed is 600 m/hr.

What assumptions about the jet-stream wind velocity presumed to be east or west are made in preparing the schedule?

(what is the wind speed?)

I am going over Halliday and Resnick after more than 20 years(!) and this one is hanging me up. I would appreciate any help anyone here can offer.

Thanks

 

[PhanthomJay]

A airplane flight at 2700 miles is schduled to take 50 min longer westward than eastward. THe airspeed is 600 m/hr.

What assumptions about the jet-stream wind velocity presumed to be east or west are made in preparing the schedule?

(what is the wind speed?)

I am going over Halliday and Resnick after more than 20 years(!) and this one is hanging me up. I would appreciate any help anyone here can offer.

Thanks

The assumption would be that the jetstream has a west to east component of velocity rather than an east to west component, which is a reasonable assumption in the mid latitudes of the northern hemisphere (including USA).
Ground speed traveling east to west is air speed minus west to east compoment of jetstream speed. Ground speed traveling west to east is air speed plus west to east jetstream wind component. You should now be able to solve for the assumed west to east component of the jetstream speed. I haven't done the math, but it ought to be under 100mph. Gee, I had that Halliday and Resnick book 40 years ago!

 

[jdlenner]

HI,

Thanks for your response. As it turns out, it was just an algegra error on my part. "saving time" by doing all the steps in my head!

 

[PhanthomJay]

HI,

Thanks for your response. As it turns out, it was just an algegra error on my part. "saving time" by doing all the steps in my head!

Yup, after i posted i tried to do the math and for some reason it was not that simple. Finally ended up with a jet stream wind component in the 60mph range.