Title: Why planes fly at 35,000 feet: The reason for high altitude flights
Headings: Why planes fly at 35,000 feet: The reason for high altitude flights
Why planes fly at 35,000 feet: The reason for high altitude flights
Why do planes fly so high?
The higher the better
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How's the weather up there?
Avoiding heavy traffic
In the event of an emergency
How cold is it up there?
Is there a minimum flying height?
Well, why not fly at the minimum height required to clear any obstacles?
What about a maximum?
The Telegraph, London
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Content: Light aircraft do not have pressurised cabins, therefore stick below 10,000 feet. Any higher and the pilot is required to don an oxygen mask to keep conscious. In the event of an emergency
Should something bad happen to an aircraft at 35,000 feet, like losing power in its engines, the pilot has much longer to deal with the situation, than if the aircraft was just at 10,000 feet. This may sound silly, but remember that planes can still land safely even if both engines fail – so having more time to get your ducks in a row before attempting such a manoeuvre could save lives. See also: The truth about oxygen masks on planes
How cold is it up there? The higher you get, the colder it gets, up until 40,000 feet. If the temperature at ground level was 20C, at 40,000 feet it would be -57C. At 35,000 feet the air temperature is about -54C.
Is there a minimum flying height? Has anyone seen comedian Eddie Izzard's Glorious, where he does a sketch about taking a flight in a very small aircraft with only a handful of passengers? He jokes that the pilot's announcement is thus: "