Answers to some of your offbeat queries

Question: Why can’t planes fly in a straight line?

— Betzy

Answer: Airplanes do fly in straight lines. If your question is why the lines on a map appear to be circular, it is due to the map being in two dimensions and drawn on a piece of paper while the Earth is a three-dimensional sphere.

Q: Does the rotation of the Earth have any consequential effect on the length of a flight?

— Dave from Iowa

A: No, it is not taken into consideration in flight planning.

Q: Can an airplane escape a tornado before a tornado forms? — submitted via email

A: Before it forms, a tornado is only wind. Airplanes avoid thunderstorms that produce tornadoes, so it would not need to escape.

Q: Do pilots make barrel rolls during night flights?

— Tony, Greeneville, Tenn.

A: No.

Q: What happens if the autopilot accidentally flies the plane into the sun?

— Jonathan Wallace

A: It is not possible.

Q: Why are the first-aid kits all placed on the left of the plane? — Jeremy, Hong Kong

A: They are not. Different operators place first-aid kits in different spots. I have seen them on the left and right.

Have a question about flying? Send it to travel@usatoday.com.

John Cox is a retired airline captain with US Airways and runs his own aviation safety consulting company, Safety Operating Systems.