Why don t passenger planes fly faster?

Fuel Efficiency and Cost Savings One of the primary reasons for the reduction in flight speed is fuel efficiency. As the cost of aviation fuel has risen over the years, airlines have sought ways to minimize fuel consumption, and flying at slower speeds has proven to be an effective method.



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The Supersonic Past and the Future If successful, these planes could bring about a resurgence of faster flight speeds, but for now, slower speeds remain the norm for most passenger aircraft.

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Do airliners fly at the speed of sound? Apart from two exceptions, both of which are not flying any more, no. But they do get fairly close. Airliner cruising speeds are roughly Mach 0.82 to Mach 0.89, or 82% to 89% of the speed of sound.

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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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Navigating at night can actually be much easier than during the day. Large conurbations and their associated street lights can be seen from miles away. Making it easy to pinpoint them and fly towards them. Roads are also much easier to pick out against the surrounding terrain.

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The power, or volume, of the shock wave depends on the quantity of air that is being accelerated, and thus the size and shape of the aircraft. As the aircraft increases speed the shock cone gets tighter around the craft and becomes weaker to the point that at very high speeds and altitudes no boom is heard.

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The reason for quicker flights while flying eastwards is jet streams. Put simply, these are fast-flowing, narrow air currents in the atmosphere found at high altitudes.

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Generally speaking, most airlines will make some kind of efforts to wait for delayed passengers on a connecting flight, though this is not necessarily guaranteed. In some cases, airlines may be able to hold a connecting flight for a period of time, but it is not something that is typically guaranteed by any airline.

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The reason planes cruise at high altitudes is that they burn less fuel and can fly faster, as the air is less dense. At 30,000 feet and higher, it is also possible for aircraft to avoid weather systems, making it more comfortable onboard.

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The top speed for commercial planes is generally around Mach 0.85, which is about 650 miles per hour.

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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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But many of their advanced functions are only advisory in nature: Pilots still must look out the window to verify what they're telling us.

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Aircraft Instruments that Help the Pilots See in Cloud The pilots also have a weather radar which can be viewed on their screens and this can help them determine what type of cloud it is they are flying through (or approaching), how much water there is in the cloud, and if there are more clouds behind it.

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