Why do heavier planes fly faster?

Kind of. If you load an aircraft more, it needs, from it's wings, more lift force to balance the now greater force of gravity pulling it down. That larger lift force can be obtained in three ways. By increasing the airspeed, by increasing the angle of attack, by changing the wing geometry.



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A nice rule of thumb for most light aircraft is that a 10% increase in take-off weight will result in a 5% increase in take-off speed, at least a 9% decrease in acceleration, and at least a 21% increase in take-off distance (1).

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A piloted airplane's speed typically depends on its size and mission. Passenger and cargo airplanes tend to fly slower than military jets. Jets tend to fly faster than propeller or turboprop airplanes.

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With a heavier aircraft, your AOA in cruise is closer to the critical AOA, causing you to stall at a faster airspeed. A lighter aircraft will have more degrees of AOA to increase before it encounters the critical AOA, causing you to stall at a lower airspeed.

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Less traffic and a cool breeze also make for a smoother flight, if you don't take into account unexpectedly bumping into clouds. On clear nights, there is less friction against the wings which makes for obstruction-free sailing across the sky.

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THE ANSWER: Yes, small planes are involved in more accidents than commercial plane.

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The stalls that pilots practice are aerodynamic stalls not engine stalls. It happens when the critical angle of attack is exceeded. [Typically the nose is pitched up too much is what it means]. It results in airflow separation that means that the wing no longer is generating any [significant] lift.

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Weight affects the balance point of the aircraft. This is one of the most important points of an airplane because it directly impacts the stability and performance of the aircraft.

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Once fueled, an airplane's minimum flight speed depends on the movement of the air around it. Maximum airspeed, on the other hand, is limited largely by technology.

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There is no significant difference. Cruise Speeds (and Mach number limitations) can vary depending on the temperature of the air and other factors, but the actual effect on the speed of the aircraft (in cruise) is usually very small.

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In jet aircraft, an overspeed results when the axial compressor exceeds its maximal operating rotational speed. This often leads to the mechanical failure of turbine blades, flameout and total destruction of the engine.

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What's the slowest a plane can fly? The Ruppert Archaeopteryx has a certified stall speed of 30–39 kilometres per hour (19–24 mph). The Vought XF5U can fly as slow as 32 kilometres per hour (20 mph). The Tapanee Pegazair-100 stall speed is 45 kilometres per hour (28 mph).

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When an airplane experiences less drag, it consumes less fuel. This relationship between speed and fuel consumption means that flying at a slightly slower speed can result in significant fuel savings for airlines, which in turn can lower operating costs and potentially reduce ticket prices for passengers.

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The operations department of the airline take the passenger, baggage and cargo information and collate this with the basic empty weight of the aircraft and the fuel load as determined by the pilots. They then feed this into a computer to calculate not only the gross weight of the aircraft but also the CoG at takeoff.

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Pilots have a unique viewpoint while flying private or commercial aircraft. They get an unobstructed view of stunning natural sights, such as pink lakes and rectangular-shaped icebergs. Some have reported seeing UFOs, while others have flown over swirling hurricanes.

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