Looking from the porthole of a sky liner at the distant land below, at the pockmarked sections of fields, at the scattering of lights that are cities, one involuntarily wonders: at what altitude does a passenger plane fly? We will try to answer this seemingly simple question. The thing is that several factors influence the height factor that the airliner gains during flight. And the first one is a car model. We often see planes in the sky. Some of them look like a sparkling star, leaving a gas trail. These are jets. They move silently across the horizon. And there are also such airliners, which, roaring loudly and utero, rush so low that you can see the company logo on the fuselage. Why is there such a difference in gaining altitude while flying? Read about it below.
Ideal height. What it is
From school science, we remember that the higher you go up, the more rarefied the atmosphere becomes. From this, the friction of the aircraft sides against the air also decreases. And that means - and reduces the fuel consumption necessary to overcome the resistance of the atmosphere. It would seem that all liners should, based on this principle, fly at maximum altitude. Somewhere in the stratosphere, where there is almost no air, there is no friction. But the wings of the liners are designed to ensure that the car is supported to some extent by air currents. And if they are not there, the plane begins to “collapse”. That's why the pilots are talking about the perfect corridor. This is a space between nine and twelve thousand meters above the ground. At what altitude a passenger plane of this design flies - the pilot calculates based on its technical characteristics. This should be the “golden mean” between friction and the maintenance of the machine by the air masses.
Route direction
It may seem strange that a factor influencing how high a passenger plane flies is its route. Dispatchers to prevent collision of air liners in the sky (after all, no one will survive such an accident) established the following rule. All aircraft heading east, with various deviations to the south or north, occupy odd air corridors. It is usually nine and eleven kilometers from the surface of the earth. And the liners flying to the west follow in even “ranges” of heights (ten and twelve thousand meters). Based on the technical parameters of the machine, the pilots calculate which corridor they choose, and inform the ground controllers about this. And they already warn the crew of the ship about meteorological conditions along the route. Sometimes, to avoid the turbulence zone, the liner has to lower or gain height. Dispatchers monitor the entire course of the board and keep in constant contact with the pilot.
At what maximum altitude do passenger planes fly
Some countries close airspace over their territory (or part of it) due to armed conflict. High mountains cause turbulence at altitude. All these reasons the pilot must consider when plotting the route. The airborne path agreed with the dispatchers, as well as the average altitude at which the flight will take place, is called the “echelon”. But natural disasters in the form of high thunderclouds can not be foreseen in advance. Vast cloudiness leads to great turbulence. And the pilot should go around the clouds to avoid danger. And it’s better to do it on top, where no whims of the weather are terrible. The maximum flight altitude of passenger aircraft depends only on the type of machine. For example, TU-204 can only climb 7200 m. The new IL-62 - eleven kilometers. The same maximum height and the "Airbus A310". And what kind of aircraft can fly into the sky for twelve kilometers? These are jet engines. From passenger sides to the highest altitude, the Boeing 737-400 is capable of climbing.
What is the speed of the aircraft
The largest amount of fuel is consumed at the start of the liner. After all, a heavy car should be well dispersed to take off the ground and gain altitude, overcoming strong air friction. Therefore, despite the height at which a passenger plane flies, the ascent takes place as quickly as possible. Then passengers are told to fasten their seat belts, as the liner develops cruising speed. At Boeing 737-400, this technical characteristic is almost eight hundred kilometers per hour. When the aircraft reaches its average height, the cabin announces that seat belts can be removed.