Originally Posted by
Name User
Honestly now I'm even more confused
Flights to Asia go NNW or N on departure from DFW. In the morning that puts the sun on your right. At noon it's overhead but you might be heading NW or N. If you're flying north the sun is behind you. The sun continues it's westward journey as the flight starts turning west. If your route is north of Alaska you're heading SW when you enter Siberia. The sun is on your left. In China it's almost due south. The usual route is west of Beijing. Since it's the afternoon the sun is now on the right.
The pure great circle route is right into the usual winds so the usual route westbound is further north into lighter winds. If you get farther north, up to 180 nm from the north pole, the winds as you 'descent' in Siberia and China might actually be tail winds.