Loading Page...

At what height does air reach before descending?

Modern airliners have flight management computers that will begin a descent from 30,000 feet, approximately 100 miles from the destination planning an idle descent. The computer calculates a vertical path based on the approach and landing information programmed by the pilots.



People Also Ask

In the 1900s, Hungarian physicist Theodore von Kármán determined the boundary to be around 50 miles up, or roughly 80 kilometers above sea level. Today, though, the Kármán line is set at what NOAA calls “an imaginary boundary” that's 62 miles up, or roughly a hundred kilometers above sea level.

MORE DETAILS

In aviation, the rule of three or 3:1 rule of descent is a rule of thumb that 3 nautical miles (5.6 km) of travel should be allowed for every 1,000 feet (300 m) of descent. For example, a descent from flight level 350 would require approximately 35x3=105 nautical miles.

MORE DETAILS

Many pilots refer to this as the 1-2-3 rule: Plus or minus 1 hour from arrival, ceilings at least 2,000 feet and visibility at least 3 statute miles.

MORE DETAILS

Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. In aviation, the rule of three or 3:1 rule of descent is a rule of thumb that 3 nautical miles (5.6 km) of travel should be allowed for every 1,000 feet (300 m) of descent.

MORE DETAILS

Whether flying at night or during the day, pilots need to see some kind of horizon. They use this to determine the airplane's attitude. At night pilots will turn their gaze from outside to inside and use the artificial horizon. The artificial horizon is normally a simply globe split into two hemispheres.

MORE DETAILS

There are no specific regulations governing civil aircraft operations beyond the altitude of 60,000 feet. Nevertheless, certain exceptional aircraft like the Concorde and the Tupolev Tu-144 have managed to ascend to altitudes of FL600 (equivalent to 60,000 feet).

MORE DETAILS

All airplanes will be exposed to drag during flight. They must overcome this aerodynamic force to achieve and maintain lift. Otherwise, airplanes would essentially fall out of the sky. Air brakes are control surfaces that increase drag so that airplanes slow down during flight.

MORE DETAILS

Top Of Climb (TOC). An identifiable waypoint representing the point at which cruise altitude is first reached. TOC is calculated based on your current aircraft altitude, climb speed, and cruise altitude.

MORE DETAILS

A commercial aircraft will typically descend at between 1,500 and 3,000 feet per minute. The Space Shuttle, the most inefficient glider of its time, used a far larger descent angle, descending at 10,000 feet per minute (enough to make you pay attention to the fasten seatbelt sign).

MORE DETAILS

In aviation medicine, the 1% rule is a risk threshold that is applied to the medical fitness of pilots. The 1% rule states that a 1% per annum risk (See also risk management) of medical incapacitation is the threshold between acceptable and unacceptable.

MORE DETAILS

The 1 in 60 rule is a simplified way to calculate an aircraft's drift angle in flight. If an aircraft has drifted 1 nm. off track after 60 nm's, its drift angle is 1?.

MORE DETAILS

?? The first rule is something we've always called common courtesy. Once we are aboard the aircraft, the way we behave impacts those around us. ?? Remember that the pilots and flight attendants are there to get you to your destination safely, and everything they do is for your benefit.

MORE DETAILS

Planes have lower oxygen levels If this didn't happen, everyone inside the plane would die, as the low air pressure at the elevations planes fly (typically 35,000 feet or so) means there isn't enough oxygen present for your body to function.

MORE DETAILS

Respecting the weather, the impact on fuel consumption, and the effect of drag are all part of best operating an aircraft either at high altitudes or closer to the ground. Generally speaking, flying at higher altitudes means higher airspeed because of less drag.

MORE DETAILS