Record speed LA flight landed really early due to weather
- Weather conditions often hinder the progress of a plane
- But in the case of this China Airlines flight, it was a massive help
- The plane finished a cross-Pacific journey an hour early
Published on Aug 13, 2024 at 5:32 PM (UTC+4)
by Ben Thompson
Last updated on Aug 14, 2024 at 5:40 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
A flight heading to Los Angeles landed an hour early due to weather.
Often, weather delays a flight’s arrival, much to the frustration of the passengers onboard.
But in this case, China Airlines Flight 5116 was given a premature landing.
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The curious case of Flight 5116
The Boeing 777F plane was heading from Taipei, Taiwan, to Los Angeles, USA, in January 2024.
The reverse of this cross-Pacific trip would usually take around 14 hours and 40 minutes, going against the jet stream.
Flight 5116 completed it in 10 hours and 18 minutes traveling the other way.
How did it manage this impressive feat?
Through extraordinarily strong tailwinds.
On January 26, the winds pushed Flight 5116 to exceed the speed of sound (767mph) when they propelled it to over 800mph.
For way of comparison, a Boeing 777’s usual cruising speed is 564mph.
Tailwinds were heightened thanks to the Pacific jet stream, which had been accelerated by the El Niño climate pattern.
These stronger winds guaranteed any eastward flights would achieved faster than usual flight times.
Despite exceeding the speed of sound, the plane did not break the sound barrier.
It remained at its regular cruising pace, it was just surrounded by a super fast jet stream.
The speed of the jet stream has been attributed to a winter acceleration and the absence of landforms which would cause friction.
Over the spacious Pacific ocean, this effect is massively increased.
When we say the Pacific Ocean is spacious, we are somewhat understating the case.
Still, things can sometimes be found in the vast body of water – such as this Rolex watch.
Other planes that were achieved high speeds
This flight isn’t the first to benefit from the weather.
Other flights have achieved impressive speeds over the years.
In October 2023, an American Airlines flight heading from New York to London shaved an hour off its flight times due to weather conditions.
It reached a top speed of 778mph, which has been bested by a few other planes over the years.
According to AirGuide, a Philippine Airlines 112 heading from Manila, Philippines, to Los Angeles reached 819mph, just ahead of a Delta Airbus flight from Tokyo to Detroit that hit 817mph.
Another Delta Airbus flight from Seoul, South Korea to Atlanta flew at 814mph, and a China Airlines flight from Taipei to Los Angeles clocked in at 812mph.
