At what altitude does a passenger plane fly? Flight speed of the liner

Looking from the porthole of the heavenly liner to the far land below, to the ruffled sections of the fields, to the scattering of lights that are cities, one can not help asking: at what altitude does the passenger plane fly? We will try to answer this seemingly simple question. The thing is that the factor of height, which is gaining the liner during the flight, is influenced by several factors. And the first of these is the model of the car. We often see planes in the sky. Some of them look like a sparkling asterisk, leaving behind a gas track. These are jet planes. They move silently through the sky. And there are also such airliners, which, loud and monotonous growling, sweep so low that you can see the company's logo on the fuselage. Why such a difference in gaining altitude during the flight? Read about it below.

Ideal height. What it is

From school science, we remember that the higher you climb, the more sparingly the atmosphere becomes. From this, the friction of the sides of the aircraft about air decreases. This means that the fuel consumption necessary to overcome the resistance of the atmosphere is also reduced. 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 at all, there is also no friction. But after all, the wings of the liners are designed for the fact that the car is to some extent supported by air flows. And if they are not there, the plane begins to "collapse". That's why the pilots talk about the ideal corridor. This is the space between nine and twelve thousand meters above the ground. At what altitude the passenger aircraft of this design flies - the pilot counts, proceeding from his 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 the factor that affects how high the passenger plane flies is its route. Dispatchers to prevent the collision in the sky of air liners (because in such an accident no one will survive) have established the following rule. All airplanes following the east, with various deviations to the south or north, occupy odd air corridors. It is, as a rule, nine and eleven kilometers from the surface of the earth. And the airliners 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 should choose, and report this to the ground controllers. And they already warn the crew of the vessel about the meteorological conditions along the route. Sometimes, in order to avoid a zone of turbulence, the liner has to decrease or gain altitude. Dispatchers control the entire course of the side and keep in continuous communication with the pilot.

At what maximum altitude does passenger airplanes fly

Some countries close the airspace over their territory (or part of it) because of armed conflicts. High mountains are the cause of turbulence at altitude. All these reasons the pilot should consider when plotting the route. Coordinated path with the controllers, as well as the average altitude at which the flight will take place, is called the "echelon". But natural cataclysms in the form of high thunderclouds can not be foreseen in advance. Extensive cloudiness leads to great turbulence. And the pilot should round the clouds to avoid danger. And it's better to do it on top, where no whims of the weather is terrible. The maximum altitude of the flight of passenger aircraft depends only on the type of vehicle. For example, the TU-204 can only rise to 7200 m. The new IL-62 is eleven kilometers away. The same maximum height is also found in the "Airbus A310". And what plane can climb to the sky for twelve kilometers? These are jet engines. From the passenger side, the Boeing 737-400 is capable of climbing to the highest altitude.

What is the speed of the aircraft

The greatest amount of fuel is consumed at the start of the liner. After all, a heavy car should be well accelerated to break away from the ground and gain altitude, overcoming the severe friction of the air. Therefore, despite the fact, at what altitude the passenger plane flies, the ascent is as quick as possible. Then passengers are told to fasten their seat belts, as the liner develops cruising speed. At "Boeing 737-400" this technical characteristic makes almost eight hundred kilometers per hour. When the aircraft comes to its average height, the cabin is announced that the seat belts can be removed.