How do planes fly so high in a thin atmosphere if they need lots of air to generate lift?

Question

How do planes fly so high in a thin atmosphere if they need lots of air to generate lift?

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Answer 1

There’s enough air at the altitudes they fly, which is dependent on speed and wing shape and size. Thin atmosphere isn’t no atmosphere, and if a plane presents enough wing surface and generates enough forward thrust to keep enough high pressure air under the wing to generate lift, the plane will fly. Of course, for each plane, there is an altitude that is too high, but until they reach that point, they’ll fly.