What is the highest altitude your flight has flown on a commercial airline?
Sep 20, 2006, 9:52 am
#1
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What is the highest altitude your flight has flown on a commercial airline?
I always wondered why a typical commercial airplane flies at a certain altitude. I know alot of it has to do with the weather, fuel usage, type of aircraft, other planes on the route and approved flight plans. But I wonder how high my commercial flight could fly.
What is the highest your commercial airplane has flown and why does it not go even higher?
What is the highest your commercial airplane has flown and why does it not go even higher?
Sep 20, 2006, 10:00 am
#2
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I believe Boeing is designing their current (new) aircraft to be certified to the low-40's. I seem to recall that Concorde went somewhat higher...maybe 50k?
I'm sure there are many complications with going higher - the standard thing I've always heard for commercial airliners is that fuselage development would be much more expensive at higher altitudes. (e.g., it would either need to be heavier or made from completely different materials) The technology exists to do it, but the economics don't work.
Military aircraft, of course, can go much higher, since the plane isn't pressurized - only the pilot's suit is.
I'm sure there are many complications with going higher - the standard thing I've always heard for commercial airliners is that fuselage development would be much more expensive at higher altitudes. (e.g., it would either need to be heavier or made from completely different materials) The technology exists to do it, but the economics don't work.
Military aircraft, of course, can go much higher, since the plane isn't pressurized - only the pilot's suit is.
Sep 20, 2006, 11:10 am
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410 is the highest flight level used in many parts of the world and I believe how high most commercial airliners are certified to. And I have been on flights at that altitude.
Sep 20, 2006, 11:18 am
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Originally Posted by rkkwan
410 is the highest flight level used in many parts of the world and I believe how high most commercial airliners are certified to. And I have been on flights at that altitude.
I've not seen anything similar at 42,000'/43,0000', which is the highest I've been on trans-pacs on US airlines. ( And yes... I was surprised when the Pilot announced and IFE Map showed that altitude, too... I didn't know they did that ).
Sep 20, 2006, 12:09 pm
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Originally Posted by the_traveler
I thought that I once heard that Concorde flew at 60K?
Sep 20, 2006, 12:24 pm
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Originally Posted by Vulcan
I belive that max Concorde altitude was 59,000 feet. It was highly dependent on temperature, wind, time of the year, latitude, etc. The highest we got on mine was 52,000. When flying, the Concorde crew just open the throttles wide and leave them alone until its time to decend.