What would happen if a plane flew too high?

If a passenger jet flies too high, it reaches a point called 'Coffin Corner'. This is the point at which the aircraft's low speed stall and high-speed buffet meet and the plane can no longer maintain its altitude which forces it to descend.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on flightdeckfriend.com


What is the maximum altitude a plane can fly?

Most commercial airplanes have a certified maximum altitude of about 40,000 to 45,000 feet. Regardless of its certified maximum altitude, if an airplane flies too high, it may fail in one or more ways. For starters, the engine may suffocate from a lack of oxygen.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on monroeaerospace.com


What happens if a plane goes overspeed?

Examples of overspeed

In jet aircraft, an overspeed results when the axial compressor exceeds its maximal operating rotational speed. This often leads to the mechanical failure of turbine blades, flameout and total destruction of the engine.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on en.wikipedia.org


Why do planes do not fly over the Pacific?

Flying over the Pacific Ocean is avoided by most airlines for most flights because it usually doesn't make sense to fly over it when shorter and safer routes exist. The Pacific Ocean is also more remote and less safe than the Indian and Atlantic Oceans to fly over, resulting in a higher chance of a plane crashing.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on executiveflyers.com


What is the highest a plane has ever flown?

It doesn't seem fair. On July 17, 1962, American test pilot Robert White took the X-15 to an altitude of 314,688 feet. But it's Russian pilot Alexandr Fedotov who holds the world altitude record, set on August 31, 1977, when his MiG E-266M reached a mere 123,523 feet.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on smithsonianmag.com


What happens if an aircraft climbs too high?!



Can airplanes fly over Mount Everest?

Tim Morgan, a commercial pilot writing for Quora says aircraft can fly above 40,000 feet, and hence it is possible to fly over Mount Everest which stands at 29,031.69 feet. However, typical flight routes do not travel above Mount Everest as the mountains create unforgiving weather.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on thehindubusinessline.com


Can a plane fly to space?

Many more spaceplanes have been proposed, but none have reached flight status. At least two suborbital rocket-powered aircraft have been launched horizontally into sub-orbital spaceflight from an airborne carrier aircraft before rocketing beyond the Kármán line: the X-15 and SpaceShipOne.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on en.wikipedia.org


Why don't we fly from Alaska to Russia?

Bering Strait Geography

The smaller of these granite islands is American. These islands can be used as a resting point during a crossing of the Bering Strait, however, being in the proximity of Russia's Big Diomede Island will reduce the chance of a successful crossing from Alaska to Russia.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on angusadventures.com


Why do pilots say Roger?

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) officially defines the word "roger" to mean "I have received all of your transmission." For example, a pilot would say "roger" in response to an advisory from Air Traffic Control.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on en.wikipedia.org


Why can we not fly over the North Pole?

Things only get more challenging from there. The polar regions have special navigation concerns in the form of the magnetic fields which permeate them. These can make it difficult for planes to navigate because the polar areas interfere with magnetic navigational tools.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on aerocorner.com


What altitude is coffin corner?

Flight 447 was also flying at a cruise altitude of 35,000 feet, an altitude where the relationship between an aircraft's stall speed and the speed of sound has gained the name "the coffin corner".
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on blogs.scientificamerican.com


How do you stop a coffin corner?

The correct response by a pilot in the coffin corner is to lose altitude, and to go down to where the stall speed is lower. In other words, if a pilot unfortunately finds himself in the coffin corner, he has to descend quickly. If he doesn't do it, the aircraft will do it for him with disastrous consequences.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on forbes.com


Why is it called coffin corner?

The term comes from the "coffin corner" found in Victorian houses (the slang and often refuted term for a decorative niche, or very small "corner", cut into the wall of a staircase landing), as the target area is very small.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on en.wikipedia.org


Why do military planes fly so high?

Supersonic aircraft, including spy planes and fighter planes, can fly much higher and therefore resist drag better. They can produce greater thrust so that this thinner air doesn't interfere with the engine's efficiency.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on aerocorner.com


What would happen if a window on a plane broke?

In brief, it's all to do with air pressure in the cabin. Without compressed air, passengers would be unable to breathe due to a lack of oxygen at over 10,000ft. When a window breaks, the seal holding this compressed air inside it breaks, and it rushes out to equalise conditions inside the cabin with those outside.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on inews.co.uk


Do planes fly above clouds?

How high do planes actually fly? One reason that planes cruise above the clouds is so they can fly fast. The higher airplanes climb, the thinner the air gets, and the more efficiently they can fly because of less resistance in the atmosphere, according to Ryan Jorgenson, an aviation data analyst.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on time.com


What does the pilot say before crashing?

Mayday. And that's because it's a word that's been used for the last century to immediately indicate an emergency. The typical way of saying it is to call it three times in a row — Mayday! Mayday!
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on skytough.com


Why is it Niner instead of nine?

Aviators often speak “pilot English” to avoid miscommunications over radio transmission. “Tree” for instance, means three, “fife” is the number five and “niner” means nine, says Tom Zecha, a manager at AOPA. The variations stemmed from a desire to avoid confusion between similar-sounding numbers, he says.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on time.com


Why do they call mayday?

Mayday got its start as an international distress call in 1923. It was made official in 1948. It was the idea of Frederick Mockford, who was a senior radio officer at Croydon Airport in London. He came up with the idea for “mayday" because it sounded like the French word m'aider, which means “help me."
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on wonderopolis.org


Why do planes not fly over Antarctica?

No, planes don't fly over Antarctica because it is too remote and ETOPS regulation requires that aircraft are within a certain distance of a diversion airport at all times in case there are engine problems. As there are no diversion airports in Antarctica, routes must stay closer to other continents.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on polarguidebook.com


What do pilots see when flying?

Pilots have a unique viewpoint while flying private or commercial aircraft. They get an unobstructed view of stunning natural sights, such as pink lakes and rectangular-shaped icebergs. Some have reported seeing UFOs, while others have flown over swirling hurricanes.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on insider.com


Do planes ever fly over Antarctica?

Because there are no flights over Antarctica, it is difficult to get "route-specific training" for routes that don't exist.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on engineerine.com


How cold is space?

The Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) satellite has refined temperature measurements taken way back in 1964. According to data from the Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) satellite, the temperature of space is 2.725K (2.725 degrees above absolute zero).
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on sciencefocus.com


Can birds fly space?

A: Birds cannot fly in the vacuum of space because there is no air, but some birds have been brought to live on space stations before. American astronauts brought 32 chicken embryos to space on the Discovery STS-29 flight.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on howthingsfly.si.edu


Can you fly a jet if you're colorblind?

As a result, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has made it a standard practice to restrict, or simply deny, color-blind applicants that want their commercial pilot's license. But color blindness is not all or nothing. Contrary to popular belief, you can become a pilot even if you are colorblind.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on airlinepilotcentral.com
Next question
How much rich is Akshay Kumar?