From John T - I am new to this site and want to post a question concerning flight path taken by BA 207 on Dec 29 last. Am I in the right place or is there a better section for such matters? Sorry if I sound naive! John T
flightaware.com/live/flight/BAW2 … /EGLL/KMIA
Hi and welcome. One suggestion is to include a link that includes the specific date when you have a question. I looked at the track log and it looks like the 40 west report has a bogus latitude, it should be either 54 or 53 north instead of 50 north. I’ve done quite a few Atlantic crossing up in the pointy end of the airplane and ATC would never route a flight like the one depicted.
John in Saudi
Thank you John in Saudi, you were very rapid. I agree that the flight deviation to the South for several hundred kilometres and then the north-easterly return to the planned flight track is highly unusual - the more so as the plane would probably not have standard ATC contact until Gander, and on the flight track shown, would cross the westbound aircraft to the south. However, concomitant with the track deviation the speed shows a great deal of variation, including two reductions (500 to 400 kt), which might imply severe and prolonged turbulence? Just interested as my family were aboard!
I meant north-westerly, sorry!
The ground speed deviations are because the time between reports was most likely correct but the Flight Aware computer used the distance based on the bogus latitude.
There is ATC across the Atlantic but they use non-radar procedures so it is highly unlikely you would ever actually get a clearance like that. They would have to give every flight south of that route a similar deviation which would be impractical.
The groundspeeds are provided by the FAA, not derived by FlightAware. The only thing we derive from position is heading (and rate of climb from altitude).
oh goody, I learned something today.