Why is it that most commercial airliners fly at 36 000 feet?
Flying higher means planes can avoid birds (usually), drones, and light aircraft and helicopters, which fly at lower altitudes.
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So there has to be a balance, which is the reason for the fairly specific altitudes generally used by airliners. 35,000 feet or thereabouts is the altitude at which fuel efficiency is greatest, while there is still enough oxygen available to power the engines.
Flying at 45,000 feet plus altitude might avoid traffic and weather, but it also comes with its own risks. For example, if the aircraft was to rapidly depressurize and emergency oxygen fail, the time of useful consciousness at 45,000 feet is just nine to 15 seconds.
Hazardous weather conditions and larger weather systems can occur over bodies of water. These include thunderstorms, which are extremely hazardous to flights.
Currently, the bragging rights for the longest flight in the world belong to Singapore Airlines' New York City to Singapore route. Its longest flight path, which connects Singapore's Changi Airport with New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, 9,585 miles away, takes 18 hours and 40 minutes.
Because the Earth is a three-dimensional sphere and not merely a two-dimensional flat, East-West surface. Because of this spherical shape, often times the shortest distance is flying more north and south, up over the Northern latitudes and the North Pole, rather than flying east/west over the Pacific.
Different airplanes have different maximum altitudes, depending on their construction. For example, the Airbus A320 has a maximum altitude of 39,000 feet (11,900m) and the Boeing 74745,000 feet (13,700m).
Although private jets tend to cruise at an altitude of 41,000 feet, they have the capability of reaching heights of 45,000 feet. Altitudes higher than this tend to be reserved for military aircraft that comfortably reach an altitude of up to 51,000 feet.
white was the first pilot to fly any aircraft faster than mach 4, 5 and 6, as well as the first to fly above 200,000 and 300,000 feet. he set the only official world record of the X-15 program when he flew to 314,750 feet on July 17, 1962, a fédération aéronautique internationale altitude record that still stands.
Thanks to the low visibility and undeveloped infrastructure, flying over Antarctica is extremely difficult. Specifically, because of the strong magnetic fields that surround the polar regions, navigating there, no matter how well-equipped the airplane is in terms of instrumentation, can be particularly challenging.
The simple answer is yes, pilots do, and are allowed to sleep during flight but there are strict rules controlling this practice. Pilots would only normally sleep on long haul flights, although sleep on short haul flights is permitted to avoid the effects of fatigue.
If you're looking for an experience that's unique and unforgettable, then look no further than the world's shortest commercial flight—the two minute journey from Orkney Islands – Westray to Papa Westray in Northern Scotland.