Passenger planes fly faster than the speed of sound due to strong winds, but they do not pass through the sound barrier strange

Both planes flew at one point at speeds of up to 1,290 km/h and more, at least relative to the Earth's surface. Ground speed is, and can differ greatly from, air speed. After all, air speed is measured relative to the surrounding air and therefore depends on the wind at that moment. Those winds reached near-record speeds of 426 km/h at cruising altitude (somewhere between 10 and 11 km) on Saturday. “Almost”, because it is the second fastest speed at this altitude recorded in the area by the National Weather Service Baltimore/Washington since records began in 1948. On December 6, 2002, a wind gust of 430 km/h was recorded, a record.

The Meteorological Authority warned in a message of strong winds, and this was true. The Virgin Atlantic flight from Washington, D.C., to London took 45 minutes less than usual. The Boeing 787 reached a maximum ground speed of 1,290 km/h. Faster than the speed of sound, which is about 1,224 km/h under standard conditions at sea level.

Another United Airlines Boeing 787 flying from Newark to Lisbon reached a peak speed of 810 mph (1,349 km/h), again its ground speed and again faster than the speed of sound. The flight will eventually arrive in the Portuguese capital twenty minutes faster than expected. However, this plane, like other Boeing planes, did not break the sound barrier because “it was still moving at its normal flight speed through the surrounding air, which happened to be moving at an unusual speed,” as the Washington Post explains. These types of passenger aircraft usually reach a maximum speed of 900 to 1000 km/h.

Last month, a China Airlines plane over the Pacific Ocean also reached a ground speed faster than the speed of sound. Thanks to a tailwind of 402 km/h, this passenger plane briefly flew at 1,329 km/h.

The latter two speeds are among the fastest ever measured, although there are no official record speeds for commercial flights. The fastest subsonic transatlantic flight was made in early February 2020 on a British Airways Boeing 747, which flew from New York (JFK) to London Heathrow Airport in just 4 hours and 56 minutes. Thanks to Storm Ciara. This journey usually takes more than six hours. Top speed, according to FlightRadar24.com, was 1,328 km/h.