“Only airplanes live in flight” - do you remember these words from the famous song of Yuri Antonov? Life is in the air, and on the earth, and under the earth, and under water. So at what altitudes do planes fly?
Further higher faster
During the arms race, this motto was used in domestic aircraft construction. And it should be noted that with great success. For example, such an exhibit, which few people remember, like the Su-100, was developed as a strategic bomber, but could escape from the pursuit of any fighter that existed at that time and a long time later. Unfortunately, due to bureaucratic delays, he remained a prototype.
For military aviation technology, high speed and flight altitude are of principle, since there is a need to remain difficult to reach for ground-based air defense units. At what altitudes does this category fly?
Flight altitude
The maximum flight altitude, or ceiling, for each type of aircraft is calculated and laid based on its purpose. If it is a fighter, its flight altitude should be as high as possible. After all, he will have to "get" the enemy, who can try to get away from the chase, gaining height. Some designed aircraft have a practical ceiling of up to 40 kilometers above sea level, although such heights are impractical. Most modern fighters are designed for use at altitudes of up to 20-22 kilometers.
Transport and passenger airliners
These aircraft have a different field of application, and therefore, the requirements for altitude and speed of their flight are different. There were single developments of passenger airliners using supersonic speeds (such as Concord), but they were abandoned due to the impracticality of use in this area. However, the flight speed of jet transport and passenger aircraft is quite impressive.
For example, the well-known military transport aircraft Il-76 has a cruising speed of 750-800 km / h. This means that the maximum speed is very close to supersonic. And the practical ceiling reaches 12,000 meters above sea level. The estimated height for this type of aircraft is 8-9 km. Most modern large aircraft designed to transport goods and passengers over long distances have similar or close flight characteristics.
However, the usual speed measurement system for airplanes flying at high altitudes will not always be sufficiently informative. Airplane speed at altitude is often measured by the number "M" corresponding to the speed of sound. For a large altitude, this indicator is of great importance, because at a high altitude the air density decreases, and therefore the speed of sound, expressed in km / h or in m / s, also decreases. Therefore, at the same speed, expressed in kilometers per hour, with a change in height, the speed, expressed in the number "M", will change. For an ordinary person, this seems unprincipled. But to overcome the speed of sound will require a significant increase in structural strength, and therefore, the mass of the aircraft, as well as the specific shape of the wing.
For example. A plane flying at the surface of the earth at the speed of sound will cover a distance of approximately 1220 kilometers in one hour. A plane at an altitude of 10 km, flying at the speed of sound, will overcome only 1076 kilometers in an hour. Purely for practical reasons, it will not make sense to accelerate a non-military aircraft to the speed of sound and significantly increase its altitude.
Local airlines and other aircraft applications
This area of aviation is significantly different from those discussed above. The flight range of airplanes flying on local airlines is measured in several hundred kilometers. Most often, such aircraft are equipped with screw engines with significantly lower fuel consumption per kilometer.
At what altitudes the planes that we are talking about now fly, depends on their purpose. In any case, here we are not talking about tens of kilometers and often not even kilometers. Low echelons are provided for this category. Usually this is a height of 600, 900, 1200 meters for local airlines. Aircraft used in agriculture for cultivating land rarely rise above several hundred meters, and the direct execution of tasks occurs from a height of several tens of meters. Similar flight heights prevail in aircraft used to extinguish fires.
If you do not have serious problems with the vestibular apparatus, you will enjoy the flight. And while controlling the aircraft, you get an incomparable experience. And no matter at what altitudes the planes fly. You will feel at your best.