Why do planes have to fly at 30000 feet?

The reason commercial airplanes fly at 30,000 to 36,000 feet is because it places them in a unique part of Earth's atmosphere known as the lower stratosphere. The lower stratosphere is above the clouds, so commercial airplanes are protected against bad weather.

Why do planes go 30000 feet?

The biggest reason for this altitude lies in fuel efficiency. The thin air creates less drag on the aircraft, which means the plane can use less fuel in order to maintain speed.

What planes can fly at 50000 feet?

The B-52H Stratofortress is a long-range, heavy bomber that can perform a variety of missions. The bomber is capable of flying at high subsonic speeds at altitudes of up to 50,000 feet (15,166.6 meters).

Do all planes fly at 30000 feet?

But generally, most commercial passenger jets cruise at between 32,000 and 40,000 feet—or six to seven-and-a-half miles off the ground. Turboprop planes, which are smaller aircraft that typically carry a handful of passengers, rather than hundreds, fly at a lower altitude of about 25,000 to 30,000 feet.

Can a plane fly at 60000 feet?

Question: What is the highest altitude an airplane can fly? Answer: The highest commercial airliner altitude was 60,000 feet by Concorde. The highest military air-breathing engine airplane was the SR-71 — about 90,000 feet. The highest airliner flying today reaches 45,000 feet.

That's Why Airplanes Have to Fly So High

What happens if a plane flies too high?

Aerodynamic altitude: If a commercial airliner flies too high, it will encounter less dense air passing over the wings to create lift. This can cause the plane to stall and fall out of control. Depending on the weather conditions and aircraft weight, this can occur anywhere between 40,000 and 45,000 feet.

What is the highest flight ever?

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.

Can a plane stop in the air?

Can an airplane stay up in the air without moving forward just like helicopter? A: Techincally, there is only one way for the aircraft to remain hanging motionless in the air: if weight and lift cancel each other out perfectly, and at the same time thrust and drag cancel each other out too. But this is incredibly rare.

Can planes fly at 1000 feet?

This is not a factor in commercial flying. However, legally planes must be at least 1000 feet above any object on the ground, and must be able to land clear of any congested area in the event of an engine failure. Therefore small planes generally fly between 2000 and 10,000 feet.

What do pilots see when flying?

Whether flying at night or during the day, pilots need to see some kind of horizon. They use this to determine the airplane's attitude. At night pilots will turn their gaze from outside to inside and use the artificial horizon. The artificial horizon is normally a simply globe split into two hemispheres.

Do planes fly above rain?

Nowadays, airplanes are designed to fly in most weather conditions, even heavy rain.

How do airplanes see at night?

Aircrafts don't really have headlights per se; but, There are red and green LEDs outside of the aircraft and on the ground, which help the pilots land at night and make their aircraft visible to another aircrafts in the night sky.

Can a plane fit 1000 passengers?

The Airbus A380 is the world's biggest commercial passenger aircraft, seating on average 555 passengers in three different classes, and up to 800 in a horrible all-economy configuration. But...

Why do 99% of planes not fly over Pacific Ocean?

Because of its vast size, crossing the Pacific Ocean requires a staggering quantity of fuel. However, most commercial aircraft do not fly directly over the Pacific Ocean; instead, they choose what are known as 'curved paths'. These paths offers a faster, more efficient route given the curved nature of the earth.

Why can't planes fly over the ocean?

Hazardous weather conditions and larger weather systems can occur over bodies of water. These include thunderstorms, which are extremely hazardous to flights. So, there can be cases in which airlines may look to spend as little time as possible flying over water or apply ETOPS.

Can planes fly 70000 feet?

It provides day and night, high-altitude (70,000 feet, 21,300 meters), all-weather intelligence gathering. Lockheed Corporation originally proposed it in 1953, it was approved in 1954, and its first test flight was in 1955. It was flown during the Cold War over the Soviet Union, China, Vietnam, and Cuba.

What's the lowest a plane can fly?

The Federal Aviation Regulation (FAR) Part 91.119 indicates that, except when necessary for departure or landing, the minimum altitude over urban areas is 1,000 feet above ground level (AGL) and 500 feet AGL over rural areas.

Can a plane be too heavy to land?

While not as common an occurrence as overbooking, it does happen. Various factors (including air temperature, elevation, runway length and slope, and obstacles near the runway) can limit how much weight an airplane can safely carry.

How high is too high for planes?

Although, of course, air traffic control in each airspace has ultimate authority over an aircraft's precise altitude. Most commercial aircraft are approved to fly at a maximum of around 42,000 feet.

Can a plane fly with one wing?

A plane needs balance to be stable. When it has two wings, it has lift on both sides, and it is pushed straight up into the air. But if you remove one wing, suddenly the plane is out of balance. It would have a huge weight in the middle and lift on only one side, causing the plane to lift unevenly, and stall.

Do planes fly at full speed?

A typical commercial passenger jet flies at a speed of about 400 – 500 knots which is around 460 – 575 mph when cruising at about 36,000ft. This is about Mach 0.75 – 0.85 or in other words, about 75-85% of the speed of sound.

Can a plane leave Earth?

The higher you go, the less air there is, so as airplanes go higher and higher, they need to go faster and faster to stay aloft. Additionally, the jet engines of airplanes actually work by sucking air through them. All of this means that for almost all airplanes, space flight is impossible.

Can jets fly over 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.

Why do planes not fly over mountains?

Clear air turbulence is hard to pick up on the radar, so difficult for pilots to spot, but high mountain ranges are breeding grounds for clear air turbulence. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, clear air turbulence is the number one cause of injuries to passengers and crew in non-fatal accidents.

Can a plane fly around the world in 24 hours?

Theoretically it is possible but even a supersonic jet would be hindered by factors such as speed restrictions and in-flight refuelling. Yes – but only in theory. The Earth is roughly 40,000km in circumference at the equator, and completes one rotation every 24 hours.