How does the planes find their way into the sky?

Question

there is no road, so how do they go from place to place

Answer 1

using compass direction headings, radar and ground control.   There are certain air corridors they have to stay in as well.  There are also restricted air corridors that are reservered for military planes only.

Answer 2

Radar and maps

Answer 3

Pilots?

Answer 4

The ultimate is looking out the window.  The true freedom of flight comes with a Stearman or Cub, no radio, no talking, just a map.

Concrete compass = highway and Iron compass = railroad tracks.  I've logged thousands of miles like this.  The longest trip from Brownfield, TX to Petersburg, VA.

Answer 5

Pilots plan their journeys before take off, there are well known established routes for getting around in the air. Air highways, so to speak. Radar is used to pinpoint traffic and headings.

Answer 6

There are hypothetical roads called Victor airways that most pilots use. They are basically radio lines which connect two radio navigation devices, and equipment in the aircraft allows them to see how far off of the track they are, ect. There is also GPS navigation, which is super simple because it shows you where your plane is relative to the surface of the earth! Finally, there is the classic technique of looking at a map, then looking out the window of the airplane, and pointing the plane in the direction you want to go(that is, if the pilot can even see out the window!).

Answer 7

The answer to that is "RADAR". RADAR helps locate the plane by using waves from the air traffic control centre. The waves hit the plane and bounce back to the air traffic control centre. This helps them locate the positioning of the plane. The air traffic control centre tells the pilot if there is a plane ahead so the pilot can avoid it.   IF your asking how a pilot knows where he or she is heading, the answer is GPS(Global Positioning System). The gps sends a signal to a satellite in space and the satellite displays the airplane's location on the gps screen. I hope this helped you. If you have more questions, email me at [e-mail]

Answer 8

they have flight plan which they follow as routes are already established so figure it as a ladder with so many steps let us say at 0900 the highest @41,000' is free and was given to (A) plane. B plane flies out @0930 was given 40,000', and so on C flies at 1000 because he was not RVSM certified he was allowed only to fly at 27000'. This goes on and changes only occur when some air excercise or trafic is enroute. Like a deviation 20 miles away from their orig. course due weather, but the same level or if there is an occupant of that airspace,  they may go lower or higher.  I think this is what its all about.

Answer 9

They follow the pre-determined routes, in terms of co-ordinates. Enroute they respond to ATC & transponders who confirm that they are on the right track.

Answer 10

The answer varies depending on which type of airplanes you have in mind.

In small, simple airplanes, flown by private pilots for pleasure or for other personal or business use, the pilot can navigate simply by looking at the ground below, usually with the aid of a map.  As long as the weather is clear and it's daytime, this works pretty well.

Commercial aircraft, including all modern airliners, navigate using much more complex methods that are suitable for any type of geography or weather conditions.  Airliners navigate using satellite navigation (GPS), radio beacons (VORs), and inertial reference systems (special devices inside the plane that can sense its every movement and figure out which way it is going).  Airline pilots still look out the window, but they don't depend on that to find their way.

Modern airliners are usually flown by computer after take-off, and the computer uses the methods mentioned above to navigate precisely from point to point along a route that is planned in advance by the airline and pilots, and usually the route follows airways in the sky that have been worked out by the government to help smooth traffic.  Even the landing can be handled by the computer, if the weather is too poor for the pilots to land the aircraft visually.  Modern navigation systems can pinpoint the aircraft's location to within a few feet, anywhere in the world.  As a result, airline pilots always know exactly where they are, even if they are flying through dense clouds and fog.  They can navigate all the way to the landing at their destination airport without ever looking out the window, if necessary.

In most parts of the developed world, including the United States, airliners are also visible to air traffic controllers on radar, and the controllers can give a pilot his position, if necessary.  However, controllers mostly just ensure that airliners are spaced correctly in the sky, as the pilots normally already know their own positions.

Answer 11

They have pilots, steering wheels, and windows up front.

I least I THINK that is how it works. The last time I was on a plane they had a door to the front of the plane but it was all locked up. Couldn't see anything. All hush hush you know?

Answer 12

I wish that people would not post answers in subjects they don't know anything about.  RADAR is not part of most navigation systems.

Airport surveillance RADAR and enroute RADAR are used by air traffic control to locate aircraft on the instrument flight routes and in the vicinity of busy airports, but legally, pilots are responsible for their own flight planning and navigation.

Most of the time, most pilots use various techniques in which they rely on their own senses and equipment in their airplanes.  "Pilotage" is the most basic methods, using personal knowledge of landmarks along the way, as well as very detailed maps called aeronautical charts, that make cities, higways, and other landmarks easy to find.

Radio navigation involves ground based radio ranges that allow a pilot to find a line from one point to another using a special radio receiver.  More modern is the GPS (Global Positioning System,) which uses satellites and an on-board computer to pinpoint position and show the right direction to fly.

There are many variations on these methods and some others that will take too long to describe.  It's really a large subject.  Lots of information is available if you need it.  Just do an internet search on "air navigation."

Have fun...

Answer 13

For some flying an aircraft's mapping radar is required, but most navigation is not done that way.

Victor and Jet Airways are flown, but there is much off-airway navigation.

GPS units don't all show where the plane is.  

"Ground control" is control of aircraft that are on the ground.

Airline aircraft are not usually flown by computer soon after takeoff.

Most airline aircraft are not equipped to land by computer.