Why Planes Don’t Fly Over the South Pole

Ever wondered why you never see flight paths going over the South Pole? It’s not just because it’s cold down there! There are a few key reasons:

• Antarctica doesn’t have many airports or places for planes to land if something goes wrong.
• The weather is super unpredictable and can be really dangerous for flying.
• There are rules about how far planes can fly from airports, and the South Pole is just too far away.

Plus, cities in the southern half of the world aren’t set up in a way that makes flying over the South Pole necessary. Let’s dive into why the South Pole is a no-fly zone for most planes.

It’s possible to fly over Antarctica, but it rarely happens

There are three main reasons why planes don’t usually fly over Antarctica:

1. Not enough airports: Antarctica doesn’t have many places for planes to land. It’s mostly just ice and snow, which isn’t great for building runways!
2. Crazy weather: The weather in Antarctica can change really fast. One minute it might be clear, and the next you’re in the middle of a blizzard. That’s not fun when you’re trying to fly a plane!
3. Safety rules: There are rules about how far planes can fly from airports. These rules (called ETOPS) make it tricky to fly over Antarctica because there aren’t many places to land if something goes wrong.

The Sheffield School of Aeronautics puts it this way: “Flying over Antarctica is tough because it’s hard to see during snowstorms. Pilots need to be able to spot the runway and watch out for things like ice on the ground.”

But here’s the thing: most of the time, planes don’t need to fly over the South Pole anyway. There aren’t as many flights in the southern half of the world compared to the north. And the way cities are spread out in the south means planes can get where they need to go without going over Antarctica.

Following the rules

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has some guidelines for flying near the poles. Airlines have to get special permission and follow a bunch of rules. The FAA says:

“If US airlines want to fly near the poles, they need to get the okay from us first. We check to make sure they’re ready for it. We consider anything above 78 degrees north latitude to be the North Polar area.”

The FAA has a list of ten things airlines need to think about before they can fly near the poles. These rules make it pretty tough to fly over the South Pole. Here are some of the things on that list:

1. Having backup airports along the way
2. Making a plan for what to do if the plane has to land somewhere unexpected
3. Making sure the fuel doesn’t freeze
4. Being able to talk to people on the ground the whole time
5. Having special equipment on the plane
6. Training pilots and dispatchers about the weather and special procedures
7. Making sure pilots get enough rest on long flights
8. Knowing what to do if there’s a solar flare
9. Having special cold-weather suits on board
10. Doing practice flights and having a plan for any problems that might come up

So while it’s not impossible to fly over the South Pole, there are a lot of reasons why planes usually don’t. It’s just safer and easier to go around!