At what height is best for flying?

At what height is best for flying? The normal cruising altitude for commercial airplanes is between 33,000 and 42,000 feet. This translates to nearly eight miles above sea level. This high altitude gives commercial flights the ability to have maximum fuel efficiency and reach high speeds because of the thin air.

How tall is too tall for a military pilot?

There is no standing height requirement. Army pilots. The U.S. Army requires pilots to have a standing height of 5'4? to 6'6?. They must have a sitting height of 40.15 inches and a reach of at least 64.5 inches.

What happens if a pilot flies too high?

The higher the altitude, the higher the air pressure differential between the inside and outside of the plane. At around 43,000 feet, a maximum of 9 PSI is reached, and anything higher could lead to a catastrophic structural failure of the aircraft.

How do pilots know when to descend?

In modern aircraft with modern avionics, the descent profile is automatically calculated by the computers. When prevailing winds are entered the flight management system can accurately determine the top of descent and the rate of descent that is required.

Is turbulence better at higher altitudes?

An analysis of these data has indicated that for the higher altitudes (50,000 to 75,000 feet), turbulence is both less frequent and less severe than for the lower altitudes (20,000 to 50,000 feet). Turbulence appears to be present at the high altitudes (60,000 to 75,000 feet) less than 1 percent of the time.

Is being a pilot a 9 5?

Being an airline pilot isn't an average 9–5 job. When you're an airline pilot, life is divided between the air and the ground: A typical airline pilot schedule involves 75 hours of flying per month. They spend another 150 hours performing other tasks such as planning flights and checking weather conditions.

What is the best height to fly?

What is the best height to fly? According to USA Today, the common cruising altitude for most commercial airplanes is between 33,000 and 42,000 feet, or between about six and nearly eight miles above sea level.

How high to avoid turbulence?

So what's the best altitude to minimize your exposure to moderate or greater turbulence? Well, considering both in-cloud and out-of-cloud turbulence, flight between 8,000 and 12,000 feet will allow for the smoothest ride, on average.”

How do pilots decide how high to fly?

During the dispatch phase of the flight, the pilots are provided data on forecast winds and temperature for normal cruise levels of the aircraft. The pilots can then input these data into the FMS and then once in the air the FMS calculates the most optimum altitude based on the input data.

At what altitude do you need oxygen?

For best protection, you are encouraged to use supplemental oxygen above 10,000 feet MSL. At night, because vision is particularly sensitive to diminished oxygen, a prudent rule is to use supplemental oxygen when flying above 6,000 feet MSL. So, when you fly at high altitudes, supplemental oxygen is the only solution.

Which flights have the most turbulence?

What if a plane lands too hard?

The term hard landing usually implies that the pilot still has total or partial control over the aircraft, as opposed to an uncontrolled descent into terrain (a crash). Hard landings can vary in their consequences, from mild passenger discomfort to vehicle damage, structural failure, injuries, and/or loss of life.

At what height do planes become uncomfortable?

Short-haul flights are usually pressurized at 5,000 to 6,000 feet while long-haul flights are closer to 8,000 feet, according to Thibeault. But acute mountain sickness, which can involve headache, nausea and vomiting, can occur at altitudes of 6,500 feet and higher.

Why do planes fly so low over my house?

Aircraft must fly over residential areas because of the small distances between some airports and neighborhoods. Therefore, it is sometimes necessary for aircraft to fly over these residential areas in order for aircraft to safely reach the airports.

What is the most difficult stage of flight?

Landing is the most difficult stage of flight, requesting very high pilotage skills from pilots [1]. Landing is accomplished by slowing down and descending to the runway. This speed reduction is accomplished by reducing thrust and/or inducing a greater amount of drag using flaps, landing gear or speed brakes.

Can flights stop in air?

Yes, an aircraft can stay in the air without going forward if the oncoming wind, called headwinds are equal or greater than th minimum speed of that aircraft. This principle is used in the wind tunnels to experiment the flight characteristics by blowing the wind to the aerofoil and assess the aerodynamic changes.

What do pilots see when flying?

Whether flying at night or during the day, pilots need to see some kind of horizon. They use this to determine the airplane's attitude. At night pilots will turn their gaze from outside to inside and use the artificial horizon. The artificial horizon is normally a simply globe split into two hemispheres.