Title: How and Why Planes Have to Fly So High | Time
Headings: Here's How High Planes Actually Fly, According to Experts
Here's How High Planes Actually Fly, According to Experts
How high do planes actually fly?
Why don’t small private planes or helicopters fly at the same height?
So how does the height compare to obstacles in the sky? Do birds ever get in the way?
Get our Health Newsletter. Sign up to receive the latest health and science news, plus answers to wellness questions and expert tips.

Content: In most cases, these planes use a piston-powered engine, which operates similarly to the engine in your car and with power that only allows for shorter flights, according to the National Business Aviation Association. This type of engine prevents these smaller planes from reaching the same altitudes as commercial aircraft. “The plane that the average guy can rent and fly, those tend to stay usually below 15,000 feet and that’s just a limit on what the plane can do,” Beckman says. Pilots also refrain from flying these types of planes at greater heights because of potential health risks like hypoxia, which is when tissues do not receive enough oxygen, according to the National Institutes of Health. That lack of oxygen can occur at higher altitudes due to a decrease in oxygen pressure, according to the FAA. As the plane ascends, the level of oxygen decreases, which can cause rapid decompression for an aircraft that is not pressurized in the same way as a commercial airplane. What about helicopters? Choppers are mainly designed to fly short distances and typically fly much lower than airplanes, normally at under 10,000 feet. They are also unable to ascend to the same height an airplane can because instead of wings, helicopters fly by rotating blades. So how does the height compare to obstacles in the sky?