What is the atmospheric pressure when cruising at the altitude of a passenger plane?

Why Cabin Pressurization Is Important At ground level, the air pressure is a little over 14 pounds per square inch (PSI). When an airplane reaches its typical cruising altitude — usually about 30,000 to 40,000 feet — the air pressure may be just 4 to 5 PSI.

What is the cabin pressure of a commercial airliner?

Pressurization systems are designed to keep the interior cabin pressure between 12 and 11 psi at cruise altitude. On a typical flight, as the aircraft climbs to 36,000 feet, the interior of the plane “climbs” to between 6000-8000 feet.

Why are airplane cabins pressurized when they are flying at high altitudes?

Cabins are pressurized to create a safe and comfortable environment for pilots, crew and passengers. Most commercial airplanes fly at around 30,000 to 40,000 feet above sea level. At high altitudes such as this, the air is thinner than it is on the ground.

How is airplane cabin pressurized?

How airplanes are pressurized. All airplane cabins are pressurized to simulate the amount of pressure felt at 8,000 feet. Pressurization happens via the engines, which compress incoming air, heat it up, and then divert some of that hot compressed air to the cabin.

How is a cabin pressurized?

Are airplane cargo holds pressurized?

Many are surprised to hear that the cargo hold in the belly of an airliner is pressurized. Conditioned air is directed from the cabin, so the air tends to be a little cooler by the time it reaches the cargo areas, which are also less insulated than the cabin. Cargo temperatures vary in our fleet.

Why do ears pop if cabin is pressurized?

Your ears pop in airplanes because the air high above the surface of Earth is less dense than air near the surface, because air near the surface has all the air above it pushing down. As you ascend in an airplane and the air pressure decreases, the air trapped in your inner ear will cause your eardrums to push outward.

Why do planes have pressurized cabins?

It was equipped with a pressurized cabin, which enabled the plane to fly more swiftly and safely at altitudes above the weather, without causing passengers and crew to have difficulty getting enough oxygen from breathing the thinner air at 20,000 feet (6,096 meters).

What is the maximum altitude a plane can fly without cabin pressure?

Aircraft certified to operate above 25,000 ft (7,600 m) “must be designed so that occupants will not be exposed to cabin pressure altitudes in excess of 15,000 ft (4,600 m) after any probable failure condition in the pressurization system”.

What is the minimum altitude for cabin pressurization failure?

Any failure of cabin pressurization above 10,000 feet (3,000 m) requires an emergency descent to 8,000 feet (2,400 m) or the closest to that while maintaining the Minimum Sector Altitude (MSA), and the deployment of an oxygen mask for each seat.

Why don’t airliners try to duplicate the air pressure at sea level?

To avoid that, airliners don’t try to duplicate the air pressure at sea level. Instead, at a cruising altitude of 36,000 feet (10,973 meters), most commercial jets simulate the air pressure at an elevation of 8,000 feet (2,438 meters), about the same as Aspen, Colorado.