LancasterOnline.com:News:Fear, chaos in the sky

Did the pilot head the wrong way out of Puerto Rico? Call me crazy, but it took two hours to get to Fort Lauderdale? That sounds really odd to me. I kind of remember an hour at most from that part of the Carribean. Glad they made it.

I don't have a pilot's license, and outside of models, I've never flown a plane. But it would make sense to me that under certian conditions (traffic, weather) flying in an arc pattern would be more efficient (time and fuel wise) than in a straight line. If they were flying in an arc towards the east expecting to make a straight through trip and encountered a problem where now they have to turn much more west, it might explain the delay.
Not only that, I'm sure with comprimised windsheilds, flying as fast as possible wouldn't make much sense, like if you have a flat tire, you're not going to drive 90 mph to get to an exit sooner, you'll slow down and limp the car along to get off the highway where there's a safer spot to change a tire.

QUOTE(solitary @ Feb 1 2008, 02:30 PM)

I don't have a pilot's license, and outside of models, I've never flown a plane. But it would make sense to me that under certian conditions (traffic, weather) flying in an arc pattern would be more efficient (time and fuel wise) than in a straight line. If they were flying in an arc towards the east expecting to make a straight through trip and encountered a problem where now they have to turn much more west, it might explain the delay.
Not only that, I'm sure with comprimised windsheilds, flying as fast as possible wouldn't make much sense, like if you have a flat tire, you're not going to drive 90 mph to get to an exit sooner, you'll slow down and limp the car along to get off the highway where there's a safer spot to change a tire.

Agree,

Must lower your altitude and speed and when you lower your altitude you fall into a different flight pattern category and your route will change.