US Military planes flying over North Pole?

Captain · Post by **Captain** » 05 Dec 2003, 16:19

I was told that the USAF sometimes flies planes over the North Pole if there are flying to Japan and other parts of Asia.

Flying over the North Pole route is meant to be much quicker than over Pacific and would involve crossing very few countries on the way to Asia.

Commercial planes cannot use this route because they always have to be close to an airport (there is a aviation term for this) but apparently the USAF is not obliged to follow that procedure.

Can anyone confirm this?

Captain

YACHTIE · Post by **YACHTIE** » 05 Dec 2003, 18:44

AFAIK that is correct

meerkat · Post by **meerkat** » 05 Dec 2003, 23:03

Trans polar flights are not new!!! Just a couple of items I found after checking Google.

The Inauguration of the Polar Air Route from Copenhagen to
Los Angeles -- November 15, 1954 full text at this link http://www.dartmouth.edu/~izapa/E-21.pdf

Another service "Air China to Offer Beijing-New York Flight over North Pole " full text here http://www.china.org.cn/english/features/40943.htm

Meerkat

Post by **luchtzak** » 05 Dec 2003, 23:15

YACHTIE wrote:AFAIK that is correct

? Yachtie what does AFAIK mean ?

Post by **sn26567** » 06 Dec 2003, 08:52

luchtzak wrote:what does AFAIK mean ?

As Far As I Know...

YACHTIE · Post by **YACHTIE** » 08 Dec 2003, 13:23

Sorry folks, those darn acronyms

but fortunately some wise soul(s) already answered the mystery in my absence.
Thanks,

Gerrit H.

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