Can anyone explain what might have happened to the flight? It departed ORD northbound, went to 63N, turned around and flew south to 46.6N, then turned around again and is northbound passing now passing 49N???
Take a look at the flight track log.
Looks like a pretty standard polar routing to me. Remember that the earth is round, which does not project well onto a flat computer screen.
United uses a polar routing for this route as well. flightaware.com/live/flight/UAL8 … /KORD/VHHH
However, when I took the flight three years ago on a 747-400, we did not use a polar routing (route was like a typical ORD-Japan route, then over Taiwan, then cut across the sea to Hong Kong, spending no time over mainland China).
That’s a polar route, and a good one! Directly over the North Pole. I’ve always wanted to fly this route. Thanks for pointing this out. Imagine the Earth is a ball and this flight went around the ball first north, then back south.
Thanks again…