How Do Flat Earthers Explain Some of the Routes Airplanes Take, for Example from California to Asia?

In a theoretical model, the globe and the flat earth models should both result in the same flight paths, just projected onto a different surface. If there are discrepancies, it suggests inaccuracies in the models or maps being used.

Cherry Picking Routes and Their Map Projections

Flat Earth proponents often attempt to justify their preferred flight routes by using the Great Circle route to argue that planes are traveling in a straight line. However, this only works in the Northern Hemisphere and fails in the Southern Hemisphere. Essentially, they are misleading to prove their point, as stated by “McToon”, who said “you gotta lie to flerf.”

Debunking False Claims

Flat Earthers often argue that certain flight paths make more sense on certain maps, specifically the Azimuthal equidistant projection centered on the North Pole in comparison to the Mercator projection. They claim that direct flights from Asia to the US making a stop near Alaska make more sense on the Azimuthal equidistant projection, but this is not the shortest route on a globe.

Why Is This Not the Shortest Route?

The shortest flight path would depend on the shape of the earth used, and on a true globe model, the shortest route would actually pass near Alaska. The Azimuthal equidistant projection, while useful for certain purposes, does not provide the shortest route. Moreover, when looking at the true flight path from a globe, the shortest and most logical path is not the one passing near Alaska.

Another example involves flights between Australia and Africa, where some flat earthers argue that the route through Dubai makes sense. However, this ignores the fact that airlines based out of Dubai must comply with international law, requiring one end of the flight to be in their country. Direct flights between these continents would be impossible based on the assumption of flat earth, and even if one existed, it would not significantly reduce the overall flight time, as suggested by proponents.

Logical Fallacies and Misleading Claims

Flat earthers often make the claim that direct flights between Australia and Africa are shorter, but this is a fallacy. The direct flight would usually take less than an hour more than the route through Dubai. This insignificant reduction in travel time is outweighed by the drastically different time zone differences and the benefits of having a layover.

Additionally, the claim that the route would be less time-consuming by not traveling over land masses in between the two continents is not based on reality. On a true representation of a globe, the shortest and most direct route between the two locations would involve traveling over the ocean and would not include unrealistic land masses.

Conclusion

The attempts by flat earthers to justify incorrect flight routes through map projections and logical fallacies do not hold up under scrutiny. A true representation of the globe shows that the shortest flight paths often involve traveling over the ocean, making claims about routes and map projections misleading and baseless.