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Old 5th Jan 2019, 07:53
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GordonR_Cape
 
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Cape Town, ZA
Age: 62
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I did a quick flip through some flight tracks on 1Jan, and the fastest I could find was a B787 LAX-LHR. Peak ground speed was 735mph, with a filed speed of 564mph, giving a tail wind of about 171mph.

The total flight time was about 45mins shorter than average, because only a limited duration was spent inside the jet-stream. The track was longer in distance than the great-circle route, but still faster overall.

Obviously flights in the opposite direction use a more polar route to avoid the head winds.
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