The Fantastic 4: Here are the planes that can fly the highest. And why they can't go higher
If 'The Queen of the skies' and 'The king of the skies' are titles famously attributed, respectively, to the Boeing 747 [...]
While 'The Queen of the skies' and 'The king of the skies' are titles famously attributed, respectively, to the Boeing 747 and the Airbus A380 for their size and 'majesty,' when it comes to speed and cruising altitude the undisputed ruler, among commercial aircraft, still remains the Concorde, which Could fly at a cruising speed between 2,200 and 2,300kmh and at a 'service ceiling' altitude of 60,000 feet, or 18,300 meters, which allowed him to fly at twice the speed of sound well assured of not encountering 'traffic' at that altitude.
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As everyone knows, unfortunately the Anglo-French jewel has not plied the skies for more than two decades, and today, as for speed and altitude, the 'records' are much more modest. If the cruising speed remained roughly that of the subsonic passenger jets of the Concorde years (which, indeed, may have been even faster), the service rate of most aircraft has increased due to the use of increasingly lighter construction materials and more efficient engines.
Today, the top of the 'service fee' (i.e., not the maximum at which an airplane can fly, which is higher, but that which it can maintain in cruise stably and safely even for many hours) is 43,000 feet, which corresponds to 13,100 meters.
There are four aircraft capable of reaching it and keeping it cruising. Two are almost 'obvious', and they are. the Airbus A350 e the Boeing 787, constructed mostly of lightweight carbon fiber.
The other two are less so, at least in size, since they are really the queen (the Boeing 747-8) and the king (the Airbus A380) of the heavens.
How do you explain that two such mastodons manage to hoist themselves so high? Again with the use of composite and generally lightweight materials, but also with the presence under their wings of four motors, which provide them with exceptional thrust. In addition to wings of a size never seen on other models.
Most other state-of-the-art jets in service today. (such as the 777s, 737s, A320s, A220s, and A330s) stops at 41,000 feet (12.500m), While still others stop at 37-39,000 feet (11.300-11.900m).
The essential factor, for the purpose of the service fee, is the lift, that is, the 'force' that supports the plane. It is known that the higher you climb, the thinner the air becomes, gradually reducing lift. Within this framework, it is evident that elements such as weight, aerodynamics, and speed are crucial in 'compensating' for the reduction in lift that results with increasing altitude.
Thus, aircraft that are aerodynamically advanced and made of ultra-light materials such as the B787 and A350 have an advantage, as do models whose engines are able to offer greater thrust (and the more thrust, the more speed and the more lift). Which allows the A380 and 747-8 to match much lighter planes, not to mention that both the 747 and A380 have a huge wingspan and wing area, which also contribute to lift.
Traveling high has a threefold advantage: at those altitudes turbulence is very rare And it gains passenger comfort; Thinner air reduces aerodynamic drag, allowing you to consume less, at the same speed; and the scarcity (or near-absence) of other aircraft allows the route defined on the flight plan to be maintained, with very little 'risk' of detours resulting from 'competing' traffic.
Yeah, but why is the service altitude 'limit' today 43,000 feet? Because, with the technologies used in their commercial aircraft construction today, even today's best-performing aircraft would not be able to maintain higher altitudes or may, even, find themselves not having enough lift and thus stalling.
