At what altitude does a passenger plane fly and at what speed. How fast is the plane flying?

At what altitude does a passenger plane fly and at what speed.  How fast is the plane flying?
At what altitude does a passenger plane fly and at what speed. How fast is the plane flying?

Fly around the Earth in a couple of hours. This is not a myth, this is the reality of being a passenger on a super fast plane.

Boeing X-43

The X-43A hypersonic aircraft is the fastest aircraft in the world. The drone showed fantastic results during testing; it flew at a speed of 11,230 kilometers per hour. This is approximately 9.6 times faster than the speed of sound.

The X-43A was designed and created by specialists from NASA, Orbital Sciences Corporation and MicroCraft Inc. For the record holder to be born, it took about ten years of research in the field of supersonic ramjet engines, which are capable of accelerating aircraft to supersonic speeds. The project cost a quarter of a billion dollars.

The fastest plane on the planet is not very large. Its wingspan is only one and a half meters, and its length is only 3.6 meters. An experimental one was installed on the fastest plane ramjet engine supersonic combustion Supersonic Combustion Ramjet (SCRamjet). And its main feature is that there are no rubbing parts. Well, the fuel on which the record holder flies is a mixture of oxygen and hydrogen. The creators did not allocate space for special tanks for oxygen; it is taken directly from the atmosphere. This made it possible to reduce the weight of the aircraft. As a result, as a result of using oxygen with hydrogen, the engine emits ordinary water vapor.

The fastest plane in the world, Boeing X-43, flies at a speed of 11,230 km/h

It is worth noting that the fastest aircraft in the world was developed specifically for testing latest technology, namely a hypersonic alternative to modern turbojet engines. Scientists believe that hypersonic aircraft will be able to fly to any point on Earth in just 3-4 hours.

Orbital Sciences Corporation X-34

The X-34 is also the fastest aircraft. Moreover, it can reach even higher speeds than the previous one, namely 12,144 kilometers per hour. However, he is still in second place in the list of the fastest. This is because in experiments he was able to reach a speed of less than 11,230 kilometers per hour. The aircraft receives acceleration using a solid-fuel Pegasus rocket, which is attached to the aircraft.

This fastest aircraft in the world was first tested in the spring of 2001. And it took 7 years and 250 million dollars to create and test the engine of the Hyper-X device. Tests of the X-34 ended in success only in the spring of 2004. Then during startup Pacific Ocean near the island of St. Nicholas, the car accelerated to 11 thousand kilometers per hour. This plane is more than a record holder. The length of the aircraft is 17.78 meters, the wingspan is 8.85 meters, the height is already 3.5 meters. Although the aircraft flies quickly, it weighs an impressive 1270 kilograms. The maximum height it can rise to is 75 kilometers.

North American X-15

The X-15 is already an experimental American rocket plane, it is equipped rocket engines. The X-15 is the first and for forty years the only manned hypersonic aircraft in history to make suborbital flights. space flights with the pilots. This one has aircraft the main task is to study flight conditions at hypersonic speeds, as well as to study the conditions of entry into the atmosphere winged vehicles. It is designed to evaluate new design solutions, coatings, as well as psychophysical aspects of control under conditions upper layers atmosphere. The concept of the project was approved in 1954. And during the flight an unofficial altitude record was recorded, which stood from 1963 until 2004. This aircraft is capable of flying at a speed of 7274 kilometers per hour.

However, despite the impressive speed, the plane weighs quite decently - more than 15 thousand kilograms. But this takes into account the mass of fuel. When landing, the aircraft weighs half as much. The height to which the X-15 can rise is almost 110 kilometers. Well, the flight range is 543.4 kilometers.

SR-71 ("Blackbird")

The SR-71 is a strategic supersonic reconnaissance aircraft for the US Air Force. And this is the fastest aircraft, and also the highest-flying production one. It has remained that way for the past 25 years. It has fairly compact dimensions: length 32.76 meters, height 5.64 meters, and wingspan 16.95 meters. Given such data, the weight of the aircraft is impressive; at takeoff it is more than 77 thousand kilograms, however, the empty aircraft weighs about 27 thousand kilograms. Well, the maximum speed at which the SR-71 can fly is 3,715 kilometers per hour.

Mig-25 ("Bat")

But this is the fastest military jet on the planet. It was there that exactly 29 world records were set. Two varieties of this aircraft were developed and built: interceptor and reconnaissance. The length of the aircraft is 23.82 meters, the height is almost 6 meters, the wingspan is 13.95 for the reconnaissance aircraft and 14.015 for the interceptor. The maximum take-off weight of the aircraft is 41,200 kilograms, and upon landing it is 18,800 kilograms. The Mig-25 flies at a speed of 3395 kilometers per hour.

The MIG-25 interceptor fighter is the fastest aircraft in Russia

MiG-31

It is a two-seat supersonic fighter-interceptor that is designed to fly in all weather conditions and is a long-range aircraft. The MiG-31 is the first Soviet 4th generation combat aircraft. It is necessary to intercept and destroy targets in the air at high, medium, low and extremely low altitudes, night and day, in different weather conditions, with active and passive radar interference from the enemy, even false thermal targets. Four MiG-31 aircraft can control an airspace of 800-900 kilometers. One aircraft has a length of 21.62 meters, a height of 6.5 meters and a wingspan of 13.45 meters. A car flies at a speed of 3 thousand kilometers per hour.

McDonnell-Douglas F-15 (Eagle)

And this is an all-weather American tactical fighter of the 4th generation. He is capable of gaining air superiority. The Eagle entered service in 1976. There are 22 modifications of the aircraft in total. F-15s were used in Persian Gulf, Yugoslavia and the Middle East. Fighter develops maximum speed at 2650 kilometers per hour.

General Dynamics F-111 ("Aardvark" or "Pig")

The F-111 is a two-seat tactical bomber. In 1996, he was removed from combat service by the US Air Force. Its speed is 2645 kilometers per hour.
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The question of what speed a plane develops during takeoff interests many passengers. The opinions of non-professionals always differ - some mistakenly assume that the speed is always the same for all types of a given aircraft, others correctly believe that it is different, but cannot explain why. Let's try to understand this topic.

Takeoff

Take-off is a process that spans the time scale from the start of the aircraft's movement to its complete lift-off from the runway. Takeoff is possible only if one condition is met: the lift force must become significant greater value mass of the flying object.

Types of takeoff

Various “interfering” factors that have to be overcome to get the plane into the air ( weather, wind direction, limited runway, limited engine power, etc.), prompted aircraft designers to create many ways to circumvent them. Not only the design of flying vehicles has improved, but also the process of their takeoff. Thus, several types of takeoff were developed:
  • Off the brakes. Acceleration of the aircraft begins only after the engines reach the set thrust mode, and until then the aircraft is held in place using the brakes;
  • A simple classic take-off, which involves a gradual increase in engine thrust as the aircraft moves along the runway;
  • Take-off using aids. Typical for aircraft performing combat service on aircraft carriers. The limited runway distance is compensated by the use of ski-jumps, ejection devices, or even additional rocket engines installed on the aircraft;
  • Vertical take-off. Possible if the aircraft has engines with vertical thrust (for example, the domestic Yak-38). Such devices, similar to helicopters, first gain altitude from a standing position vertically or when accelerating from a very short distance, and then smoothly transition to horizontal flight.

Consider, as an example, the takeoff phases of a Boeing 737 turbofan aircraft.

Takeoff of a passenger Boeing 737

Almost every civil aircraft takes off according to the classical scheme, i.e. the engine gains the required thrust directly during the takeoff process. It looks like this:
  • The aircraft begins to move after the engine reaches about 800 rpm. The pilot gradually releases the brakes while keeping the control stick neutral. The run starts on three wheels;
  • To begin lifting off the ground, the Boeing must acquire a speed of about 180 km/h. When this value is reached, the pilot smoothly pulls the handle, which leads to the deflection of the flaps and, as a consequence, the raising of the nose of the device. Then the plane accelerates on two wheels;
  • With its nose raised and on two wheels, the aircraft continues to accelerate until the speed reaches 220 km/h. When this value is reached, the aircraft takes off from the ground.

The speed characteristics of the aircraft on the way show different meanings, but these parameters do not coincide with the numbers indicated in the technological papers. Such criteria are measured by the flight altitude and the direction of the airliner's course, and the pilot does not influence such values ​​- they are set by the dispatcher. In addition, air flows also have an influence here, which significantly affects acceleration during flight. Finally, the path coefficient is known, which measures the speed of the airliner in relation to the surface of the earth. Let's be clear individual parts this question.

Since aircraft movement ratios measure flight time, such data becomes important criteria when developing new board models. We will step by step consider the question of what speed an airplane has when flying - after all, a similar problem occupies both aviators and passengers. Note that modern modifications of airliners are capable of moving at speeds of 210–800 kilometers per hour. However, this value is not the limit of possibilities.

Supersonic sides move much faster. overcomes the barrier of 8,200.8 km/h. True, such vessels are not currently used in civil aviation due to the insignificant safety guarantee. In addition, the following nuances served as the reason for the refusal:

  1. Difficulties of design. The streamlined shape of high-speed vessels is difficult to combine with the dimensions of the passenger side.
  2. Excessive fuel consumption. Such models consume an increased amount of aviation fuel, as a result of which air tickets for passengers on such flights are more expensive than regular flights;
  3. Lack of airfields. There are not many landing sites in the world that are capable of allowing a supersonic aircraft to land.
  4. Frequent breakdowns. Exceeding the permissible speed limits may result in mandatory unscheduled diagnostic and repair work.

Considering a considerable number of other reasons, key point refusal to operate an aircraft of this type remains the lack of sufficient safety for passengers.

World classification of boards

Aviation experts count several varieties and models of aircraft: according to the parameters of the wings, the type of landing gear, and the nature of takeoff. Based on the speed of movement, aircraft are divided into 4 types. Here aviators distinguish subsonic, transonic, supersonic and hypersonic models. Note that modern civil Aviation uses airliners of the first category, although in some European countries designers are testing modifications to the aircraft of the second group.

The leadership among hypersonic models today goes to the X-43A drone, which belongs to NASA. The device moves at 11,231 kilometers per hour. For comparison, civil airliners reach speeds of up to 900 kilometers per hour. Previously, only two supersonic vessels were used for passenger transportation. This is the Tu-144 model and the Concorde airliner. But today manufacturers are working on new modifications that will soon begin to be used.

Today there are known cases of unfinished versions of supersonic aircraft. An example here will be the modification of the Boeing Sonic Cruiser. The developers were unable to finish the project they started. various reasons. In addition, in America, the law prohibits flights on boards that break the sound barrier. However, in EU countries there is no such ban if the device does not cause a sonic boom.

The acceleration rate of transonic airliners is equal to the speed of sound, while supersonic and hypersonic models exceed this value. These aircraft are used today in the military industry. The speed characteristics of attack aircraft, fighters and unmanned bombers are equal to those of spaceships. Hypersonic developments are still rarely used. Their movement capabilities are an order of magnitude superior to those of transonic models. The first airliner with such a functional load appeared in the early 60s in America. It was used for space travel, as the board gained an altitude of more than one hundred kilometers.

Civil aviation speed coefficient

Aviators divide the acceleration ability of passenger airliners into cruising and maximum indicators. Please note that this value is a separate criterion and is not compared to the sound barrier. Given the values ​​of cruising parameters, aviators note that the flight speed values ​​here are 60% lower than the stated criteria for maximum aircraft movement values. After all, a ship with passengers will not develop full power engine.

U different models Airliners have different speed characteristics. The Tu 134 moves at 880 km/h, the Il 86 at 950. Most people ask the question at what speed does a Boeing passenger plane fly. Such aircraft accelerate from 915 to 950 kilometers per hour. The highest value for a modern civil airliner today is approximately 1,035 kilometers per hour. Definitely, such parameters are less than the speed of sound, but the developers have achieved stunning results.

IN technical documentation designers specify both acceleration values. The average speed of a passenger aircraft is calculated by the developers from the value maximum indicator. This figure is up to 81% of the highest flight rate.

If we're talking about Regarding passenger airliners, such devices are characterized by low cruising and maximum speeds. Here are the following characteristics of certain airliner models, where the values ​​are indicated in km/h:

  • Airbus A380: highest score – 1019, cruising acceleration – 900;
  • Boeing 747: limit value - 989, standard during flight - 915;
  • IL 96: maximum speed – 910, cruising value – 875;
  • Tu 154M: highest acceleration – 955, normal speed – 905;
  • Yak 40: maximum criterion – 550, normal speed – 510.

Boeing is currently producing an aircraft that can accelerate to 5,000 kilometers per hour. But you should not count on maximum movement of the aircraft during the flight, because pilots fly at average speed for the safety of airline customers and to avoid wear and tear on engine parts.

Boeing 737 takeoff force

It is important to understand at what speed it takes off airplane. Almost every aircraft takes off from the ground in accordance with individual technical parameters. In this case, the lifting parameters exceed the weight of the aircraft, otherwise the ship will not lift off from the runway. Let's look at the details of this procedure using an example. A similar process occurs in the following sequence:

  1. Set of revolutions. Aircraft movement begins when the engine reaches approximately 810 rpm. The pilot carefully releases the brakes while keeping the control lever in neutral.
  2. Acceleration. The aircraft gains speed when moving on 3 wheels.
  3. Lifting off the ground. For takeoff to occur, the ship accelerates to 185 kilometers per hour. When the required indicator is achieved, the pilot slowly pulls back the handle, which leads to the deflection of the flaps and the raising of the nose of the side. After this, the airliner continues to move on 2 wheels.
  4. Climb. When the above actions are completed by the pilot, the airliner moves until it reaches an acceleration of 225 kilometers per hour. When the required value is reached, the plane takes off.

The take-off speed of an aircraft depends on the weight of the model - for the Boeing 737 this figure is 225 km/h, and for the Boeing 747 - 275 km/h

True, the latter indicator varies depending on the modification of the aircraft. A Boeing 747 is capable of lifting off the ground when it reaches a value of 275 kilometers per hour, and the Yak 40 takes off when the instruments show a figure of 185 km/h. Readers will find information about civilian aircraft here.

The nuances of getting off the ground

For proper operation It is important for airline developers to identify the rate of modification of the aircraft when gaining altitude. This process lasts from the moment the aircraft moves along the runway until the aircraft fully lifts off the surface of the earth. will be successful if the lift mass exceeds the weight of the airliner. For various brands and models, such indicators differ.

The speed of the passenger board during takeoff is influenced by external factors: wind direction, movement of air masses, humidity and quality of runway surface

To lift the landing gear off the asphalt, enormous force is required from the aircraft, and this result can be achieved only with sufficient acceleration of the aircraft. Based on the above, such indicators are higher for heavy airliners, and lower for light ones. In addition, this process is affected by the following nuances:

  • wind direction and speed;
  • airflow;
  • humidity;
  • structure and serviceability of the runway.

Sometimes situations arise when the maximum speed characteristics are not enough for takeoff. Typically, such cases are characterized by gusts of wind against the movement of the side. Here, lifting off the ground will require a force that is twice the standard values. In reverse situations, when there is a tailwind, the aircraft will need to reach its minimum speed.

Landing

The most important process of a flight is landing the aircraft. Before landing, the pilot takes the airliner to the airfield and prepares for landing. This procedure takes place in several stages:

  • gradual decrease in height;
  • straightening;
  • mileage retention.

The landing speed of an aircraft is determined only by the mass of the aircraft.

For air vehicles with a high mass, landing begins from a height of 25 m, and for light models, landing is possible from nine meters. The speed of a passenger aircraft during landing is directly determined by the weight of the airliner.

Pilots do not often reach top speed due to proper safety precautions. Therefore, it is not practical to hope that the flight time will be minimal due to the high speed parameters of the model. Here it is appropriate to focus on the cruising acceleration value.

The question of studying the speed of a passenger airliner is of interest to both aviators and ordinary people- after all, this indicator determines the flight time
Today, the leader among hypersonic models is the NASA X-43a drone, whose speed exceeds 11,000 km/h
Modern airliners have a distinction between maximum and cruising speed, and during flight the aircraft produces 60 - 81% of its maximum service life
Among the achievements of USSR designers is the Tu-144 supersonic passenger airliner, whose speed exceeded 2,000 km/h

However, in space everything is different, some phenomena are simply inexplicable and cannot be subject to any laws in principle. For example, a satellite launched several years ago, or other objects will rotate in their orbit and will never fall. Why is this happening, At what speed does a rocket fly into space?? Physicists suggest that there is a centrifugal force that neutralizes the effect of gravity.

Having done a small experiment, we can understand and feel this ourselves, without leaving home. To do this, you need to take a thread and tie a small weight to one end, then unwind the thread in a circle. We will feel that the higher the speed, the clearer the trajectory of the load, and the more tension the thread will have; if we weaken the force, the speed of rotation of the object will decrease and the risk that the load will fall increases several times. With this little experience we will begin to develop our topic - speed in space.

It becomes clear that high speed allows any object to overcome the force of gravity. As for space objects, they each have their own speed, it is different. There are four main types of such speed and the smallest of them is the first. It is at this speed that the ship flies into Earth orbit.

In order to fly beyond its limits you need a second speed in space. At the third speed, gravity is completely overcome and you can fly beyond the limits. solar system. Fourth rocket speed in space will allow you to leave the galaxy itself, this is approximately 550 km/s. We have always been interested rocket speed in space km h, when entering orbit it is equal to 8 km/s, beyond it - 11 km/s, that is, developing its capabilities to 33,000 km/h. The rocket gradually increases speed, full acceleration begins from an altitude of 35 km. Speedspacewalk is 40,000 km/h.

Speed ​​in space: record

Maximum speed in space- the record, set 46 years ago, still stands, it was achieved by astronauts who took part in the Apollo 10 mission. Having flown around the Moon, they returned back when speed spaceship in space was 39,897 km/h. In the near future, it is planned to send the Orion spacecraft into zero-gravity space, which will launch astronauts into low Earth orbit. Perhaps then it will be possible to break the 46-year-old record. Speed ​​of light in space- 1 billion km/h. I wonder if we can cover such a distance with our maximum available speed of 40,000 km/h. Here what is the speed in space develops in the light, but we don’t feel it here.

Theoretically, a person can move at a speed slightly less than the speed of light. However, this will entail colossal harm, especially for an unprepared organism. After all, first you need to develop such a speed, make an effort to safely reduce it. Because rapid acceleration and deceleration can be fatal to a person.

In ancient times, it was believed that the Earth was motionless; no one was interested in the question of the speed of its rotation in orbit, because such concepts did not exist in principle. But even now it is difficult to give an unambiguous answer to the question, because the value is not the same in different geographical points. Closer to the equator, the speed will be higher, in the region of southern Europe it is 1200 km/h, this is the average Earth's speed in space.

The speed indicator of an aircraft is one of the main technical parameters, which affects the flight duration. The influence of air currents, course direction and altitude determine what the aircraft's speed will be at the time of flight. Speed ​​indicators play an important role in the normal functioning of the aircraft, as well as in modeling and creating new and improved models.

First developments

“Ilya Muromets” is the first civilian aircraft. Previously, they flew no more than 105 kilometers per hour. Modern passenger aircraft fly covering 500-900 kilometers per hour, and this figure is not the limit.

Supersonic developments move much faster and significantly save time, which is why they are called high-speed. Their maximum speed is 8200.8 kilometers per hour. Due to the inability to provide a reliable level of safety, they are not used for transporting people.

There are several good reasons for this:

  • The complexity of modeling, since the streamlined shape of the side is problematic to adjust to the dimensions of a passenger ship;
  • Uses a lot of fuel. Accordingly, the more fuel costs increase, the more the total cost of tickets increases;
  • A small number of airfields with landing sites equipped for supersonic models;
  • The need to carry out unscheduled diagnostics or repairs.

Today there are no functioning supersonic airliners for transporting passengers. In the history of air transport there have been only two such models:

  • TU-144, flying about 2150-2300 kilometers in one hour. Was developed in the Soviet Union;
  • Concorde is a British design. It is capable of covering 2,150 kilometers in an hour.

Aircraft classification

Experts divide all models into different types depending on the parameters of the wings, their shape, location, type of landing gear, engine, nature of takeoff, etc.

Depending on the pace of movement, there are four types:

  1. Subsonic models - Mach number below 0.7-0.8 M.
  2. Transonic models - within the range of 0.7(0.8)-1.2 M.
  3. Supersonic models - within 1.2-5 M.
  4. Hypersonic models - over 5 M.

In modern aviation, airliners of the first, and in several European countries - of the second group are used.

Models of the transonic group move at the speed of sound, while supersonic and hypersonic models exceed this figure several times. These aircraft are used only in the military industry.

Passenger aircraft speed

The flight speed of airliners is divided into two indicators:

  • maximum (100%);
  • cruising (60-80% of maximum).

The aircraft with passengers is not capable of reaching maximum speed, so the cruising speed is used.

Additional Information! The developers indicate both values ​​(maximum and cruising speed) in the technical documentation for the model.

How fast is the plane flying?

Liners cover the same distance in different periods of time. The table below shows in more detail what speed a passenger aircraft can reach in flight and its purpose.

Characteristics of passenger air transport

Attention: The internal data of table “22” is corrupted!

The take-off speed of an aircraft depends on its individual technical characteristics.

Takeoff sequence:

  1. Set engine speed. The plane begins to move when the engine makes about 810 or more revolutions in one minute.
  2. Speed ​​up. The movement of a vessel on three wheels with a gradual increase in power along the runway.
  3. Separation from the surface of the earth. In order to take off, it needs to accelerate to 185 kilometers per hour.
  4. Gaining altitude. As soon as it reaches 225 kilometers per hour, takeoff begins.

Important! The speed at the time of takeoff directly depends on the weight of the model; for the Boeing 737 this parameter is 225 kilometers per hour, and for the Boeing 747 it should be 275 kilometers.

Nuances when lifting off the surface

The correct operation of the vessel depends on the accuracy of calculations of its speed at the time it takes off and climbs. This value includes the speed at all stages of movement, starting from the moment the aircraft moves along the runway and ending with its separation from the earth's surface. The average speed of a modern aircraft at liftoff differs depending on the model. Some meanings different types shown in the table below.

Average speed of the aircraft at the moment of takeoff from the ground

Attention: The internal data of table “23” is corrupted!

The acceleration rate at the moment of separation from the earth's surface is influenced by the following factors:

  • direction and rate of movement of air masses;
  • the length of the runway, as well as its structure and condition;
  • humidity level;
  • air pressure.

Due to strong gusts of wind in the opposite direction, developing the maximum acceleration of the vessel is not enough for a full takeoff. To take off, you will need to reach twice the normal speed. If the wind is tailwind, minimal acceleration is sufficient.

Landing nuances

Landing a plane is no less important than taking off. It includes several stages:

  • lowering the altitude level;
  • leveling the unit;
  • holding it in a stable position;
  • mileage.

Heavy aircraft should start landing from a height of 25 m, and light aircraft from 9 m. Their acceleration depends on the mass, as well as landing conditions. As soon as the lifting force is below the weight of the liner, it will begin to gradually reduce its altitude and land on runway and will slow down until it comes to a complete stop.

Video

Knowing the cruising speed, you can independently calculate how long a passenger flight will take.