How far can a plane glide from 30000 ft?

How far can a plane glide from 30000 ft? Question: If the engines quit at 30,000 feet, how far can a jetliner glide? -- submitted by reader Tonya Washington, Alexandria, Va. Answer: It would vary depending upon the wind, but around 100 miles would be a good estimate.

Do planes fly at 25000 feet?

Just How High do Commercial Planes fly? On average, you will find most commercial airliners flying anywhere from about 31,000 feet to 42,000 feet. That is equivalent to 5.9 to 7.2 miles in the air. Smaller aircraft, whether commercially operated or not, will fly at lower altitudes, often below 15,000 feet.

How far can a 747 glide from 30000 feet?

The lift-drag ratio for commercial airliners is about 16:1. The distance that a 747 could glide is a function of altitude. Gliding from cruise altitude of 30,000 ft, or about five miles would have a range of 80 miles.

Can planes fly at 40 000 feet?

Therefore, routes are often broken up using smaller aircraft along the way. Altogether, commercial airliners have the physical capability to travel up to 43,000 feet.

How far can an A320 Glide?

The glide ratio of a clean A320 is 17:1 which means it can travel 17 units of distance forwards for every 1 unit of distance downward at best glide speed. Using your figure of 11,000 meters away and multiplying by 17 results in a maximum range of 187km .

How far can 787 glide?

That means at 35,000 feet it could travel about 100 miles. The new 787 Dreamliner is around 20:1.

How far can a plane glide from 40000 feet?

One serving long-haul captain based in the UK explained to MailOnline Travel that 'typically a jet can glide about two miles for each 1,000ft of altitude'. He continued: 'So at 40,000ft cruise altitude the range of the aircraft to touchdown is about 80 miles.

How far can an A380 glide?

The A380 has a glide ratio of about 15:1, which means that for every 15 kilometers (9 miles) it travels horizontally, it loses 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) of altitude. Therefore, if an A380 is cruising at 12 kilometers (7 miles) above sea level, it can glide for about 180 kilometers (110 miles) before reaching the ground.

Can a plane fly at 30000 feet?

At 30,000 feet and higher, it is also possible for aircraft to avoid weather systems, making it more comfortable onboard. Referred to as turbofans, the engines on modern jet-powered airliners are most efficient when used at high altitudes.

How far can the A330 glide?

Piche and his first officer, Dirk DeJager, with more than 20,000 hours of flight experience between them, proceeded to glide the Airbus A330, without any power, for 19 minutes - covering some 75 miles - until landing hard at Lajes Air Base.

Can planes fly at 50 000 feet?

The highest certified altitude of an airliner was Concorde's 60,000 feet. Today some of the corporate jets can fly at 51,000 feet. Q: What is the highest cruising altitude allowed? A: Most airliners are limited to 45,000 feet or less.

Can planes fly 70000 feet?

To maintain their operational ceiling of 70,000 feet (21,000 m), the early U-2A and U-2C models had to fly very near their never-exceed speed (V_NE). The margin between that maximum speed and the stall speed at that altitude was only 10 knots (12 mph; 19 km/h).

Can a plane stop in mid air?

Techincally, there is only one way for the aircraft to remain hanging motionless in the air: if weight and lift cancel each other out perfectly, and at the same time thrust and drag cancel each other out too. But this is incredibly rare. To stay in the air and sustain its flight, an aircraft needs to be moving forward.

Why do planes cruise at 36 000 feet?

A major reason for flying at that altitude is money; After labor, fuel is the greatest expense for airlines. That's why airlines are constantly working to maximize their fuel efficiency. Cruising at 36,000 feet helps with that. The higher altitude means thinner air.

Do planes glide if engines fail?

The first thing to bear in mind is that aeroplanes are not stones; they all have wings that allow them to glide in the event of engine failure. In fact, each aircraft has an associated glide ratio: an index that relates the metres an aircraft advances for every metre of altitude it loses in gliding.

Can you fly at 100000 feet?

A series of Navy and Air Force programs in the 1950s and 1960s used pressure vessels or pressure suits to get balloonists higher, some to above 100,000 feet. Skydiver Nicholas Piantanida set an unofficial record—123,500 feet—in 1966, but a later attempt went awry when his helmet depressurized.

Why do planes fly at 40000 feet?

Planes are *optimized* to fly at certain heights to maximize the efficiency of their engines and their fuel consumption. So jet planes can fly a lot higher than propeller planes, so they do. They fly between 20,000 feet and 40,000 feet because they are designed and optimized to do just that.

Can a plane fly at 60 000 feet?

Commercial jetliners have a limited elevation ceiling of about 45,000 feet. While corporate aircraft can fly higher, slightly above 50,000 feet, they are specifically designed for such purposes. However, reaching an altitude of 60,000 feet would require super-efficient engines and glider-like wings.

Why planes don t fly over 40,000 feet?

A higher elevation will require a longer climb, meaning the aircraft will burn more fuel in order to reach its cruising altitude. Additionally, 35,000 feet gives more time for airline crew to address any unexpected mid-flight incidents.