Analogue Gravity and Trans-Atlantic Air Travel

TL;DR

This paper explores how analogue gravity concepts can be applied to determine minimal-time flight paths in wind flows, providing a straightforward explanation with equations and numerical examples.

Contribution

It introduces a novel application of analogue gravity to optimize airplane routes in wind conditions, with clear equations and numerical solutions.

Findings

Demonstrates the formulation of flight path optimization using analogue gravity principles

Provides numerical solutions illustrating minimal-time paths in wind flows

Offers an accessible explanation connecting gravity analogies to aeronautical routing

Abstract

The problem of finding a minimal-time path for an aeroplane travelling in a wind flow has a simple formulation in terms of analogue gravity. This paper gives an elementary explanation with equations and some numerical solutions.