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
If you go higher up, the air is less dense. This allows you to go faster and burn less fuel because there is less air resistance.
However, if you go *too* high, the air is too thin for the engines to work efficiently.
Every aircraft has a “sweet spot” combination of speed, altitude, and aircraft configuration that allows it to fly at its most efficient. That sweet spot is where you ideally would like to spend the most time of your flight.
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