Why airplanes fly so high

Less wind resistance, more power, less effort, so to speak. Spending less on fuel is also great for airlines, for obvious reasons. So, flying too high can also cause problems. Plus, the higher a plane goes, the more fuel it has to burn in order to get there so there are some drawbacks with certain altitudes as well. Flying higher means planes can avoid birds usually , drones, and light aircraft and helicopters, which fly at lower altitudes. According to Your Mileage May Vary , the direction in which your plane is traveling can also affect what altitude it will climb to.

Planes flying eastward including northeast and southeast will fly at odd altitudes i. Routes going in the same direction are also often planned so that planes are 1, feet above or below each other to avoid a collision. Have you ever wondered why the view outside your plane window can be sunny one moment and rainy the next upon descending into your destination airport? That has everything to do with the altitude.

Airplanes encounter resistance as their engines attempt to propel them through the air. The air is both cooler and less dense in the lower stratosphere. As a result, airplanes can fly through it more easily.

How high can commercial airplanes safely fly? For starters, all commercial airplanes have a maximum altitude for which they are certified to fly. This number reflects the maximum altitude that a commercial airplane has been tested to safely fly at during production.

If a commercial airplane exceeds this limit, it may experience mechanical failure. While most commercial airplanes fly at 30, to 36, feet, their respective certified maximum altitude is typically slighter higher. Most commercial airplanes have a certified maximum altitude of about 40, to 45, feet. Regardless of its certified maximum altitude, if an airplane flies too high, it may fail in one or more ways.

For starters, the engine may suffocate from a lack of oxygen. Engines work by mixing air with fuel to create combustion. One reason that planes cruise above the clouds is so they can fly fast. The higher airplanes climb, the thinner the air gets , and the more efficiently they can fly because of less resistance in the atmosphere, according to Ryan Jorgenson, an aviation data analyst. Commercial aircraft typically fly between 31, and 38, feet — about 5. Planes can fly much higher than this altitude, but that can present safety issues.

Flying higher means it would take a longer time to return to a safe altitude in case of an emergency, like rapid decompression, Beckman says. And the weight of the plane changes as the aircraft climbs higher into the sky. This, combined with the thinner atmosphere at this height, creates less resistance.

The direction of the wind is also an important factor. This also explains why you feel the plane slowing down during landing.

In most cases, these planes use a piston-powered engine, which operates similarly to the engine in your car and with power that only allows for shorter flights, according to the National Business Aviation Association.