They will soon see white smoke coming from the jet plane flying in the sky. Have you ever wondered how high these jets are flying?
Have you ever been speechless when your child asked how high the plane was flying? So, after this article, if you are asked this question again, you will have an answer ready.
It is obvious that the height of a plane flying with smoke in the sky is thousands of feet above the earth’s surface. But how high?
The altitude at which passenger jets fly is not consistent. The type of this plane, weight, including people and goods It depends a lot on the temperature of the surrounding air and weather conditions.
In addition, they must follow the instructions and regulations of the air traffic control of the relevant airspace that the plane is flying through. Also, it depends on where the plane is heading.
John Cox, a retired pilot who has flown passenger jets and now founded Safety Operating Systems, explains, “Generally, passenger planes fly at about 35,000 feet.”
“Sometimes they fly up to 41,000 or 40,000 feet. But flying at this height is quite rare,” he explained.
Tom Adcock, a retired air traffic controller, said that most passenger planes fly between 35,000 and 40,000 feet. Some aircraft sometimes fly at altitudes of 41,000 to 43,000 feet. For example, the Boeing 757 aircraft can fly up to 42,000 feet, while the Boeing 767 can fly up to 43,000 feet. He continued to explain that the Boeing 747-400 can fly even higher than this.
The maximum height that a passenger plane can fly is different from one plane to another. The maximum flying height varies depending on the type of aircraft.
Air traffic control towers take into account the direction in which the aircraft is flying when directing the altitude at which the aircraft will fly.
Both 38,000 and 39,000 are odd numbers. But the first two digits of this number, 38 and 39, are even, and the other is odd. In the case of westbound aircraft, an altitude of 38,000 feet (or 36,000 feet or 40,000 feet) is set as the altitude to fly at. 39,000 feet (or 37,000 or 41,000 feet) where the two peaks fall is designated for eastbound flights.
Because this top line is defined by a non-stop line, there will be at least a 1,000-foot difference in altitude between planes flying in opposite directions. This distance is the difference in height that would be avoided even if the plane passed face-to-face.
Airplanes heading to the northeast or southeast are assigned the same altitude as those headed east. Airplanes headed to the northwest or southwest are assigned the same altitude as airplanes headed to the west.
Some say that this multi-system was based on the naming system of highways in the United States. When the United States of America named the highways, the east-west highways were assigned numbers, and the south-north highways were assigned numbers.
What other factors are involved in determining the altitude at which such an aircraft can fly? Therefore, a former pilot explains, “The higher the better.”
He explained that the nature of jet engines is that they are more capable of working at high altitudes. Also, the higher the air resistance, the lower the fuel consumption.
Pilots prefer to use less fuel when flying in the air. Because of this low fuel consumption, there is more fuel left on the plane when you arrive at your destination. So, if there is any difficulty (for example, heavy rain and strong wind), if you can’t land on the field right away, you will have plenty of reserve fuel to fly around the field.
The fact that the higher the better is not only about long journeys; Short trips are beneficial. “You won’t believe it. “Even on short trips, the most fuel-efficient way is to pull the plane up, reduce engine power, and approach the target airfield,” he continued to explain.
“If I were to, I would be pulled up to a height of 31,000 feet. You don’t even have to stay at that height for five minutes. I have to come back down immediately,” he explained.
Nowadays, the computer of the plane calculates the most suitable altitude and informs the pilot. Therefore, the maximum altitude that the aircraft can fly will be calculated based on its weight and the air temperature. After this, after using some of the jet fuel, when the weight of the plane is lighter, they will be able to climb to a higher altitude.
“Pilots will try to fly as close as possible to one of the two optimal altitudes, or the maximum altitude they can fly,” Cooks explained. This is more obvious when flying west. An airplane flying west has to fly against the direction of the wind, so it has to fly from a higher altitude to achieve a smooth flight.
It’s not just passenger jets flying in the sky. Small private planes fly in the sky. Small private propeller-driven aircraft can generally fly at altitudes below 10,000 feet. They usually fly around 5,000–6,000 feet.
Large propeller-driven passenger planes fly at higher altitudes than small private planes. But the maximum height they can fly is not that of jet planes. For example, the Bombardier Q400 propeller-driven passenger aircraft can fly at a maximum altitude of 25,000 feet.
The planes that fly the highest are private jets owned by millionaires. For example, private luxury jets such as Learjets and Gulfstreams can fly at altitudes of up to 45,000 feet (and some models up to 51,000 feet).
In the past, the supersonic Condor flew at an altitude of 60,000 feet. When you reach this height, even during the day, the sky is no longer blue and starts to get dark. And you can see that the world is curved.
So the military jets—how high can they fly? Most military jets can fly above 50,000 feet. American F22 and F35 jet fighters can fly up to 60,000 feet.
The SR-71 Blackbird is the highest-flying manned aircraft in history. This plane, manufactured by the United States Lockheed Martin Company, is a spy plane used for intelligence. This aircraft reached a height of 85,069 feet on July 28, 1976, and set a record.
