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If we take into account the relative velocity of the wind, we can determine the ground speed of a cruising aircraft. The ground speed is equal to the airspeed plus the wind speed using vector addition. With a constant ground speed, it is relatively easy to determine the aircraft range, the distance the airplane can fly with a given load of fuel. So unless there is a big wind penalty, my first choice is a cruise altitude of 7000 or 8000 feet to obtain the best true airspeed. If I need to climb or descend to keep the ride smooth, I will, unless I am over hostile territory.
VFR and IFR Cruising Altitudes
That includes the 2009 “Miracle on the Hudson” and the heroic landing by Captain “Sully” Sullenberger. Flying above 10,000 feet greatly reduces the risk of an encounter between bird and plane. Flight levels are usually designated in writing as FLxxx, where xxx is a one-to-three digit number indicating the pressure altitude in units of 100 feet. For instance, FL200 indicates the pressure altitude of 20,000 feet. The phrase “flight level” makes it clear that this refers to the standardized pressure altitude.
Are You Flying Your Drone Legally?
I try to book a flight as late in the evening as possible so I’m already tired as we’re leaving. I do my best to stay awake through the first meal service, which typically happens within the first hour or two of the flight, and have dinner so I don’t wake up hungry midway through the journey. Then I take a dose of a well-known over-the-counter cough and cold medicine that makes you drowsy (in gel cap form) as I wait for the meal tray to get cleared. But when planes are at cruising altitude, experts say birds are no longer a threat. So once the seatbelt signs goes off, you can relax and enjoy the flight. “Most bird strikes occur during takeoff and landing,” says Kyrazis.
Airplane armrest etiquette: Why the middle seat should win out Cruising Altitude
And of course, we all have to obey the oxygen required rules if we plan to go above 12,500 feet. Despite all the frightening things that can happen if a plane flies too high, flying too low can be just as dangerous. Apart from flying through lower-lying bad-weather systems, there’s a lot more general aviation traffic at lower altitudes, including that of smaller commercial and private aircraft. Spending less on fuel is great for airlines, for obvious reasons, but a plane's engines also need oxygen in order to work, according to Traveller, to create combustion, which also creates energy. So, flying too high can also cause problems because the air is much thinner. 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.
Too-quick reclining can even land you in legal trouble in some places, like a case out of China when a rail passenger was fined for breaking the laptop screen of the traveler behind him when he reclined his seat. Contradicting my colleague Christopher Elliott, both Leighton and Grotts said it’s OK to push your seat back so long as you’re not too hasty about it. Contact our flight dispatcher school today to learn more from our experts. On this route from KGCY-KEHO, there's a 24-knot wind velocity difference between 3,000' and 6,000', with a nearly 50-degree wind direction difference. And if you're thinking things would be bumpy in that area, you're right.
A Word About Light Aircraft
“Jet fuel weighs about 6.7 pounds per gallon, so the more that you burn as you’re flying, you would actually end up losing a lot of fuel weight,” Jorgenson says. This, combined with the thinner atmosphere at this height, creates less resistance. Commercial airplanes can theoretically fly a little higher than this, and of course they can also fly lower if they choose to. But small aircraft such as those flown by private pilots cannot fly this high, and usually do not go above 10,000 feet.
What Is the Cruising Altitude of a 747?
Safety first: What flight attendants do, don't do Cruising Altitude - USA TODAY
Safety first: What flight attendants do, don't do Cruising Altitude.
Posted: Wed, 21 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Most of the time, the amount of wind change from say 3000 to 6000 feet is not so great that it will change our flight time by more than a few minutes. But if you can get a smooth ride by making that change, you and your passengers will enjoy the flight a lot more. One thing I’m very fortunate about is that I tend to sleep well on planes, even in the cheap seats. I wasn’t paying close attention, but on the way to Singapore I think I managed eight to 10 hours of sleep total.
Get the Pilot’s Tip of the Week
You can see altitudes issued to other flights on flight planning services such as Fltplan.com. Those altitudes are accurate in that they were issued by center computer as an initial clearance. Lastly, flying high gives you more time to act in the unlikely event of an emergency in flight. Despite pilots being in control of the plane, they aren't the ones who decide on its altitude. Air dispatchers, instead, are in charge of planning and deciding a plane's route, including altitude, as well as tracking where an aircraft is in the air. This is because a heavier aircraft should fly faster to generate the required lift at the most efficient lift coefficient.
For example, when thunderstorms build up there can be hundreds of miles with only one or two suitable crossing points at specific altitudes. It's up to ATC to steer all the traffic through those limited windows. Again, airliners can generally cope with turbulence, but it is preferable to avoid it if possible. These altitudes are based on your course or ground track, and not necessarily your heading being flown because of variance caused by cross-wind effects.
Vertical SeparationThese IFR Cruising Altitudes provides a minimum of 1,000 feet clearance or vertical separation from other IFR airplanes heading in opposing directions. In addition, we can see the IFR traffic is separated from the VFR traffic by minimum 500 feet. Ground speed refers to the velocity of an aircraft relative to the ground below. The ground speed is what you perceive—the sensation of movement as the landscape rushes by. However, ground speed can vary due to wind conditions, making it less reliable for precise flight calculations.
Just before leaving for Singapore, I also flew back from another assignment in Cape Town. On the nearly 16-hour flight to Atlanta, I again managed seven to eight hours of sleep. Antony McNeil, Singapore Airlines’ food and beverage director, told me that meal timing and composition make a big difference to passenger comfort on extra-long flights. I flew as a guest of Singapore Airlines to cover updates to its premium economy service offerings and to experience these flights while they’re still the longest in the world. Qantas, the Australian Airline, is set to claim that title from Singapore when it inaugurates nonstop round-trip flights from Sydney to New York and London in mid-2026.
Commercial aircraft depart airports through a standard procedure, where they are under positive control of ATC. These procedures instruct pilots when to make their turns in the direction of the destination and at what altitude they should expect. So next time you’re flying an especially long distance, pay attention to what you’re choosing to eat, and consider taking a sleep aid you know you can tolerate it well. We wanted to know, and asked three commercial pilots for the lowdown. “Ten thousand feet and above, you can go legally to a much higher speed,” says Dr. Thomas Carney, Professor of Aviation and Transportation Technology at Purdue University. This also explains why you feel the plane slowing down during landing.
This sort of thing is extremely unlikely, but it does happen occasionally. Remember, Cruising Altitudes are based on your course or ground track, and the pilot must consider cross-wind variances to their heading being flown. “The last thing we need is to evacuate an airplane in our bare feet,” he said. Leighton also said it’s smart to leave your shoes on at least for takeoff and landing. When you're checking the clouds, think about coverage and altitude.
But, If the clouds are scattered to broken along your route and you can safely climb on top, you will almost always get a better ride there. Just be sure to comply with all cloud clearance rules and don’t get caught on top of an overcast. If you are an IFR pilot the freezing level may limit your altitude choices.
On the Singapore trip, it was sheer exhaustion, but on most flights of 10 hours or more, I have a routine that helps me get down. McNeil said longer flights allow Singapore Airlines to offer more stretched-out delivery with every meal service. “The plane that the average guy can rent and fly, those tend to stay usually below 15,000 feet and that’s just a limit on what the plane can do,” Beckman says. Birds rarely fly that high, which is important, as bird strikes, though rare, can be disastrous if they happen. An extreme case of this sort of disaster was the US Airways aircraft which was forced to land on the Hudson river after a bird strike.
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