Why do planes go faster than cars?

Airplanes are fast and efficient because they can operate in a low friction environment. There are no wheels (at least in flight) that have to be constantly be rolled over the ground, and at higher altitude the air is thinner which reduces air drag dramatically.



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But the fact that you're on an airplane puts you farther out of the Earth's gravity well, which means you experience less dilation than we do on the surface, and it is this latter effect that dominates when you're on an airplane. So yeah, flying on airplanes makes you age faster than travelling on the surface.

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Scientists have done the math, and it turns out that frequent fliers actually age the tiniest bit more quickly than people with both feet on the ground. But not to worry, the difference is so small, you don't have to worry about extra wrinkles.

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“Making up lost time can be tough for pilots, as we can only theoretically fly at certain maximum speeds.” While the plane may be able to go slightly faster, additional fuel burn has to be taken into consideration—and in many cases, it's not worth it to the airline's bottom line.

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Do commercial planes fly at maximum speed? Large commercial jets fly from 550 to 580 miles per hour, but their landing and take-off speeds vary. Most commercial jets fly from 160 to 180 miles per hour, with landing speeds ranging from 150 to 165 miles per hour.

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The airplanes appear to fly slower because we perceive angular velocity when we look at them or for that matter from them. Because they fly quite high you observe them from quite a distance. Further there are no other stationary objects close by with whom you could compare their speed.

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If you're traveling within your state or a state over, driving is most likely going to be faster. If you're traveling more than 300 miles, flying will probably get you there quicker.

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Simply add the strength of the headwind (30 mph) to your best glide speed (78 mph) and you've got the most efficient speed to fly—here, 108 mph. To determine an airplane's Carson speed, multiply its best glide speed by 1.32. This will get the best result in terms of true airspeed and fuel consumption.

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The higher a plane flies, the faster it can fly—to a point. “Less-dense air at higher altitudes means the actual speed the aircraft is traveling over the ground is much faster than the aircraft speed indicator shows the pilots in the cockpit,” says Kyrazis.

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Turbulence is a sudden and sometimes violent shift in airflow. Those irregular motions in the atmosphere create air currents that can cause passengers on an airplane to experience annoying bumps during a flight, or it can be severe enough to throw an airplane out of control. (The pilots) aren't scared at all.

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At times like this, pilots will slow to a designated “turbulence penetration speed” to ensure high-speed buffet protection (don't ask) and prevent damage to the airframe. We can also request higher or lower altitudes, or ask for a revised routing.

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Should you be scared of turbulence? The short answer is no, and rest assured that the pilots know how uncomfortable turbulence can make passengers feel. And know that no aircraft has ever crashed because of turbulence. Turbulence has not caused an airplane to crash, Biddle said.

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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.

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Yes, an aircraft can stay in the air without going forward if the oncoming wind, called headwinds are equal or greater than th minimum speed of that aircraft. This principle is used in the wind tunnels to experiment the flight characteristics by blowing the wind to the aerofoil and assess the aerodynamic changes.

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Aerodynamic altitude: If a commercial airliner flies too high, it will encounter less dense air passing over the wings to create lift. This can cause the plane to stall and fall out of control. Depending on the weather conditions and aircraft weight, this can occur anywhere between 40,000 and 45,000 feet.

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Taxi. Limiting the amount of time spent on the ground is the easiest way for pilots to make up for lost time. While the routing in the flight plan has largely determined the time spent flying, taxiing presents an opportunity to erase a delay.

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Usually flights will leave early morning so they can arrive early enough at the hub they are flying to so it can move on to its next destination. This also allows passengers to get to their final destination earlier in the day. Several reasons why, main two are placing planes where they need to be and making money.

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