What is the max height planes can fly?

Question: What is the highest altitude an airplane can fly? Answer: The highest commercial airliner altitude was 60,000 feet by Concorde. The highest military air-breathing engine airplane was the SR-71 — about 90,000 feet. The highest airliner flying today reaches 45,000 feet.

Do storms stop flights?

Hurricanes, thunderstorms, hail, wind and lightning can wreak havoc at airports, causing flight delays and cancellations. “If there’s a storm over an airport, airplanes may not depart as scheduled.

Why is there a little hole in the airplane window?

Believe it or not, holes in window panes are meant to keep us safe. Known as “bleed holes”, they help regulate air pressure changes as planes climb to cruising altitudes of up to 33,000 feet. At high altitudes, air pressure and oxygen levels reduce.

How high can an airplane fly?

They can go a little higher, but most large passenger airplanes are not designed to go beyond 40,000 feet. One exception to this was the Concorde, a supersonic commercial jet whose maximum cruising altitude was 60,000 feet! Then there was an airplane called Helios, designed by NASA, that went up to 97,000 feet.

What is the maximum altitude a commercial jet can fly?

One exception to this was the Concorde, a supersonic commercial jet whose maximum cruising altitude was 60,000 feet! Then there was an airplane called Helios, designed by NASA, that went up to 97,000 feet. However, this aircraft was powered by electric motors.

Why do airplanes fly at such high altitudes?

There are several reasons why airlines would want to fly their planes at such altitudes. The primary purpose of such operations is to optimize efficiency. At higher altitudes, the air is thinner. This produces less resistance, allowing the aircraft to fly faster using less fuel.

What is the highest a plane has ever flown?

The record altitude for a jet plane is 123,520 feet, set by Alexandr Fedotov in 1997 flying a military Soviet MiG-25M. Incidentally, the record for a paper plane is 89,590 feet, which did not fly to that height but was released by a helium balloon.