What is the highest ceiling aircraft?

Question: What is the highest altitude an airplane can fly? Answer: The highest commercial airliner altitude was 60,000 feet by Concorde. The highest military air-breathing engine airplane was the SR-71 — about 90,000 feet. The highest airliner flying today reaches 45,000 feet.



People Also Ask

The maximum height that a commercial airplane is allowed to reach when they fly is 42,000 feet, as this is the universally approved maximum altitude. This max altitude for airplanes is known as the “service ceiling.” Most commercial air jets fly at such a high altitude because it is known to optimize efficiency.

MORE DETAILS

The maximum height that a commercial airplane is allowed to reach when they fly is 42,000 feet, as this is the universally approved maximum altitude. This max altitude for airplanes is known as the “service ceiling.” Most commercial air jets fly at such a high altitude because it is known to optimize efficiency.

MORE DETAILS

And that at cabin altitudes above 14,000 feet pilots must use oxygen at all times. And that above 15,000 feet each occupant of the aircraft must be provided supplemental oxygen. All of this is spelled out in Federal Aviation Regulations Part 91.211.

MORE DETAILS

' For example, for the double-decker Airbus A380' superjumbo' quadjet, the service ceiling is 43,000 feet. Meanwhile, for the Boeing 787-8 and -9 'Dreamliner,' it is 43,100 feet. However, the stretched-fuselage 787-10 comes in a little lower, at 41,100 feet. Want answers to more key questions in aviation?

MORE DETAILS

Currently, the title of the highest-flying private jet is held by the Gulfstream G650 and Bombardier Global Express aircraft, according to Stratosjets. Even ultra-light private jets such as the Embraer Phenom 100EV or HondaJet Elite can operate at altitudes higher than 40,000 feet.

MORE DETAILS

At absolute ceiling, the aircraft can no longer accelerate, since any acceleration will lead to higher airspeed and therefore excess lift. Stated technically, it is the altitude where the maximum sustained (with no decreasing airspeed) rate of climb is zero.

MORE DETAILS

The absolute maximum altitude a plane can reach is only limited by the lift it can produce. This will be a function of the wing (and one of our resident engineers can explain this) and the airflow over the wing. The airflow in turn is a function of your altitude (air density) and airspeed.

MORE DETAILS

But, is there an exact temperature that makes it too cold for a commercial airplane to fly? “There is not a specific temperature,” says Tom Haines, Senior Vice President of Media, Communications & Outreach at the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA).

MORE DETAILS

The highest certified altitude of an airliner was Concorde's 60,000 feet. Today some of the corporate jets can fly at 51,000 feet. Q: What is the highest cruising altitude allowed? A: Most airliners are limited to 45,000 feet or less.

MORE DETAILS