It is easy to understand why better winds make for better flights, and this is another one of the many reasons why stratosphere flying is the norm for most aircraft. Jet streams can increase ground speed and allow a flight to be shorter under certain circumstances. Jet streams move from west to east and the northern hemisphere has three types of jet streams.
When the jet stream is pushing an airplane to the east, it is easier for the plane to make good time. Of course, if a jet stream is blowing as a headwind it can have the opposite effect, which is why most flights are designed to make the most out of jet streams. After all, no one wants extra time added to their flight; only the opposite is ever desired. Naturally, not all aircraft fly in the stratosphere.
Some military aircraft, including the SR and the U-2, as well as many commercial aircraft fly in the troposphere, which is one layer under the stratosphere.
In this layer, there is low resistance and good lift capacity, which results in a smoother overall flight. An airplane flying in the stratosphere can therefore fly faster, and a pilot will reach their destination more quickly. This is particularly important for commercial flights where a strict schedule must be adhered to in order to avoid delays.
In regards to commercial flight, when Concorde was still in operation, its maximum cruising altitude was 60, feet. For military aircraft, in , the Lockheed SR set the record for the highest altitude achieved in horizontal flight at 85, feet.
Additionally, due to air pressure at very high altitudes being so low, the cabin would have to be pressurized to such a high level that it would have an effect on the weight of an aircraft, thereby requiring it to generate even more lift and thrust.
Light Aircraft vs. Private Aircraft vs. Less Turbulence As much of the weather phenomenon we see on Earth occurs in the troposphere, an airplane flying in the stratosphere can avoid the bad weather that is typically found lower in the atmosphere.
The stratosphere is separated from the troposphere by a layer called the tropopause. This is the place where the temperature inversion starts to happen. The height of the stratosphere changes depending on the part of the planet.
It can be 66, feet high near the equator, but it gets significantly lower when we approach the poles. There, the stratosphere begins at heights of just 23, feet. The temperatures in the stratosphere vary greatly but are always much colder than the surface of our planet.
However, the temperatures in this layer are known to vary greatly depending on the season we are in. During the winter, they can get extremely low. The winds blowing in the stratosphere are much stronger than those in the troposphere.
The troposphere , the lowest layer, is right below the stratosphere. The next higher layer above the stratosphere is the mesosphere. The bottom of the stratosphere is around 10 km 6. The top of the stratosphere occurs at an altitude of 50 km 31 miles. The height of the bottom of the stratosphere varies with latitude and with the seasons. The lower boundary of the stratosphere can be as high as 20 km 12 miles or 65, feet near the equator and as low as 7 km 4 miles or 23, feet at the poles in winter.
The lower boundary of the stratosphere is called the tropopause; the upper boundary is called the stratopause. Ozone, an unusual type of oxygen molecule that is relatively abundant in the stratosphere, heats this layer as it absorbs energy from incoming ultraviolet radiation from the Sun. Temperatures rise as one moves upward through the stratosphere.
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