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Do commercial planes fly over the Arctic?
Current Flight Operations Arctic polar routes are now common on airlines connecting Asian cities to North American cities. Emirates flies nonstop from Dubai to the US West Coast (San Francisco, Seattle and Los Angeles), coming within a few degrees of latitude of the North Pole.
Why do commercial airplanes fly?
The reason aeroplanes fly so high is due to improved fuel efficiency. A jet engine operates more efficiently at higher altitude where the air is much thinner, allowing an aircraft to travel faster whilst at the same time, burning less fuel.
Does a commercial airplane fly?
Commercial aircraft typically fly between 31,000 and 38,000 feet — about 5.9 to 7.2 miles — high and usually reach their cruising altitudes in the first 10 minutes of a flight, according to Beckman. Another reason why planes don’t fly higher is due to the weight of the aircraft.
How close can Commercial airplanes fly?
What is the distance for flying aircraft set by the regulations? Commercial aircraft flying below 29,000 feet must maintain a vertical separation of 1,000 feet. Any higher and the separation increases to 2,000 feet, except in airspace where Reduced Vertical Separation Minimum (RVSM) applies.
How do commercial airplanes fly?
A plane’s engines are designed to move it forward at high speed. That makes air flow rapidly over the wings, which throw the air down toward the ground, generating an upward force called lift that overcomes the plane’s weight and holds it in the sky. The wings force the air downward and that pushes the plane upward.
Why do commercial planes fly at high altitude?
Generally speaking, the higher the aircraft flies, the faster it can travel. This high speed can only be achieved at high altitude, which is one of the reasons why commercial aircraft fly so high. Speed can get a bit confusing when talking about an object moving through the air.
How tall does a commercial plane have to be to fly?
Most commercial aircraft are approved to fly at a maximum of around 42,000 feet, also known as a ‘service ceiling.’ For example, for the Airbus A380, this ceiling is 43,000 feet, while for the Boeing 787-8 and -9, it is 43,100 feet (41,100 feet for the 787-10).
Why do commercial jets fly in the troposphere?
First, the troposphere produces minimal drag or resistance for commercial jets. If commercial jets flew below the troposphere, they would burn more fuel due to the increased drag at lower altitudes. This is because air is thicker at lower altitudes, requiring commercial jets to expend more energy to “push” themselves through the skies.
Are there any planes that fly over the North Pole?
Still, though, flying over the North Pole remained an uncommon occurrence. Restricted air space over the Soviet Union limited flight during much of the Cold War. Furthermore, the U.S. restricted those flights to planes with more than two engines. Making the flight in a twin-engine aircraft was deemed too dangerous. Aircraft improved, though.