Hi, I'm tracking my daughter's flight using Google Earth through http://www.fboweb.com.The flight path for the last 100 miles or so has been a zig-zag shape or saw-tooth shape. It's like the aircraft is banking from side to side. Height looks constant. Any ideas?Flight No NWA43cheers,nick

>Hi, I'm tracking my daughter's flight using Google Earth>through http://www.fboweb.com.>The flight path for the last 100 miles or so has been a>zig-zag shape or saw-tooth shape. It's like the aircraft is>banking from side to side. Height looks constant. Any ideas?a) weather avoidance or more likely:( ATC S turns for traffic separationi have heard that ATC is not happy with their contract rammed down their throats and some funny things have happened this winter. a lot more "enroute delays" and stuff of that nature.

The S-turns for separation are probably it as was said. I once tracked a Fedex flight from Memphis to Louisville and it went due north from memphis, to a point north of **ST. Louis** before it finally turned due east for Louisville/Sandiford. The reason? A squall line over me (se missouri) moving west to east toward west kentucky.That flight went about 200 nauticals out of it's way to avoid the wx. I think it is must be worth the fuel cost, especially once they are at cruise altitude, to not fly thru bad wx and risk the whole aircraft.RhettAMD 3700+ (@2530 mhz), eVGA 7800GT 256 (Guru3D 93.71), ASUS A8N-E, PC Power 510 SLI, 2 GB Corsair XMS 3-3-3-8, WD 250 gig 7200 rpm SATA2, CoolerMaster Praetorian

I think it is must be worth the fuel cost,>especially once they are at cruise altitude, to not fly thru>bad wx and risk the whole aircraft.Plus you're always supposed to remain at least 20 NM (although the farther, the better) from thunderstorm echoes because of the severe turbulence, updrafts, downdrafts, etc.

probably any number of reasons and likely a combination of several. Weather avoidance, traffic separations, the structure of the airways and navaids, arrival procedures, etc, depending on the type of flight and altitude etc. Interpretation may also depend on when, during the flight, the zig zagging occurred and how long it lasted. We probably need more information. Go the flightaware.com and compare the filed flight plan to the route as a start. cheers

I plotted the flight path data as attached of that part of the flight where the saw tooth shapes can be seen.cheers,nick

I've now made contact with my daughter and apparently the aircraft flew a straight line, so it must be an error in the reporting system.cheers,nick