How fast can a plane drop altitude?

A rough idea would be about 60,000 feet per minute for jets, much lower for smaller propellor aircraft. So figure an airliner cruising at 45,000 feet that suddenly nosed over into a vertical dive at about 600 knots terminal speed, would take about 45 seconds.



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Airliners can descend over 8,000 feet per minutes if needed. A descent from 35,000 feet at that rate would have you down to 11,000 feet in 3 minutes or less. John Cox is a retired airline captain with US Airways and runs his own aviation safety consulting company, Safety Operating Systems.

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Using a time equation is just as easy, and it actually makes more sense when you're flying faster airplanes. A good rule of thumb is to allow yourself two minutes for each 1,000 feet of altitude you need to lose.

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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.

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A higher elevation will require a longer climb, meaning the aircraft will burn more fuel in order to reach its cruising altitude. Additionally, 35,000 feet gives more time for airline crew to address any unexpected mid-flight incidents.

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If the plane doesn't crash, the descent rate generally can't hurt you. If the plane crashes, the horizontal deceleration is likely to do far more harm than the vertical deceleration. That said, 18,000 feet per minute is pretty fast, like 180 knots, so unpressurized it could cause possibly ear & sinus damage.

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In modern aircraft with modern avionics, the descent profile is automatically calculated by the computers. When prevailing winds are entered the flight management system can accurately determine the top of descent and the rate of descent that is required.

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The idea is to get as much altitude as possible, as close to the airport as possible. So you have a relatively steep initial climb, followed by a reduction of climb angle to cruise climb and a power reduction.

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Turbulence, which causes planes to suddenly jolt while in flight, is considered a fairly normal occurrence and nothing to fear. The movement is caused by atmospheric pressure, jet streams, air around mountains, cold or warm weather fronts, or thunderstorms, according to The Federal Aviation Administration.

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Question: Right after takeoff, it often seems that the pilot slows down and the plane drops somewhat. Why is that? I have noticed that it is pretty consistent. Answer: The sensation of slowing down is really one of slowing the rate of acceleration; this is due to reducing the thrust after takeoff to the climb setting.

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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.

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