I hope I convey my point probably, but why do planes go so many thousands of feet in the air? Is it faster that way, or could they achieve similar flight times at a lower altitude?
Does it have something to do with the curvature of the earth?
In: Engineering
Low in the atmosphere you get lots of drag but also lots of lift. This is best for underpowered planes such as small prop planes.
Very high in the atmosphere has extremely low drag but also poor lift. This is best for aircraft designed to travel above the speed of sound.
Around 30-40 thousand feet is the sweet spot for commercial airliners. It strikes the right balance of drag to lift.
It’s also safer to fly above 20k feet. If anything goes wrong, you have more time to respond.
Latest Answers