ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Northwest Staging Route

Imagine driving a toy car from one end of the room to the other. Now imagine you're a big truck driver and you need to take a long journey from one city to another, but instead of driving on the roads like you normally would, you're going to fly your truck in the sky!

Well, long ago, before modern planes and GPS, there was a special route that many planes followed when they flew from one city in the United States to another. This was called the Northwest Staging Route.

The route was named after the northwest part of the United States because it started in Seattle, Washington and went all the way up to Alaska. It was a very important route during World War II because it was used to transport military planes and supplies to help in the war effort.

But how did the planes know which way to fly? Well, they used special maps called "aeronautical charts" that showed them the best route to take. They also had special radio stations that they could tune into in order to get updates on the weather and other important information.

The planes had to make several stops along the way to refuel and make repairs. These stops were called "staging areas" and they were located in places like Montana, Canada, and Alaska.

So, the Northwest Staging Route was a special path that planes followed in the sky to transport military supplies and planes during World War II. It was named after the northwest part of the United States and used special maps and radio stations to help the planes navigate.