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Originally Posted by Cd
To fly from Austin, Texas to Winnipeg, Canada , I was surprised to see that I had to fly a huge triangle versus a straight line - Austin to Houston to Chicago to Winnipeg.
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Airplanes don't nearly fly straight lines to their destinations, that's a common misconception.
They have to follow the airways, which are all but straight lines to their destinations. Not in the least due to military airspace claims.
A friend of mine is working on more economically rerouting commercial transports in Europe.
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I'm sure there is a safety related reason for lowering the gear several miles away from the airport, but it still makes me cringe every time it happens.
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It's part of their checklist.
You really don't want them to forget it as often as the military types do ...
With continuous descent approach (DCA, essentially gliding / coasting down at or near flight idle) coming in use at more airports instead of the stepped down approaches which require leveling out (and burning more fuel) over and over again, the gear won't be as much of a drag.