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### Can planes go to space? [duplicate]

What are the reasons why planes can't go into space? https://thehumble.co.uk/aircraft-with-forward-swept-wings/
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### What is a high speed stall?

I'm told that planes can actually stall when the airflow over the wing goes past Mach 1? Why does this happen and how do you design an aircraft to avoid it?
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### Why are many jet aircraft designed to cruise around FL350-370?

If the flight distance permits, the B737-800 will cruise at FL350, the A320 a little bit higher... Flying at FL370. Photo: Live from the Flight Deck by GolfCharlie232 (reframed) Elements such as: ...
683 views

### How could a PA-28 be made to fly higher?

How would I have to modify the Piper PA-28 to fly at 25,000 feet (same as PA-34 and PA-46)? Could it fly higher? Larger wings, other wingform, bigger motor something else? Do you have to change the ...
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### At what altitude does aerodynamic forces become negligible?

If I sail on a boat from North to South the boat will be dragged by the oceans which it floats on, and the oceans are dragged by the Earth. Now when you go higher let say 10 km an airplane will also ...
144 views

### Why is the F-16's service ceiling 50,000ft? [duplicate]

What defines the service ceiling for aircraft, in particular the F-16? I suppose, as with almost everything, this depends on the aircraft, the engine type, etc. While I'm fine with a comprehensive ...
28k views

### Why can't jet engines operate with supersonic air and how do they slow it down?

Typically jets cannot operate when intake airflow is supersonic relative to the engine. Why is this so? Also, why are scramjets able to use supersonic air? To slow down the air to subsonic speeds, ...
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### How high can propeller airplanes fly?

Is there a maximum height a propeller airplane could fly? Some lower bounds for maximum flying altitude: 12,000m (39,370ft): Antonow An-70, produced 1994 12,310m (40,387ft): Lockheed Martin C-130J ...
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### Calculating the maximum altitude of a drone [duplicate]

Is there an equation to find the maximum altitude that a drone or quadcopter can fly to ?
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### Can a commercial aircraft theoretically reach 60,000ft? [duplicate]

As per this question: Altitudes above 60,000 feet are class E airspace. That means that, if you are lucky enough to have an aircraft that flies that high, once you get there you could ...
117 views

### What is the background of the maximum altitude formula?

This question What determines the maximum altitude a plane can reach? has a formula at Peter Kämpf's answer : $$\rho_{min} = \frac{2\cdot m\cdot g}{(Mach^2 \cdot c_L)_{max}\cdot a^2\cdot S}$$ Does ...
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### What should be the minimum time spent in cruise (for e.g. a B737)?

Having a short sector to fly, it would not be convenient to climb all the way up to the best cruise altitude, since the time in climb would burn more fuel than that necessary for a flight at lower ...
390 views

### May planes be flown above the maximum certified altitude?

Let's take the 737NG as an example. The 737NG has a maximum certified altitude (MCA) of FL410. However, looking at the MCP, the maximum altitude that can be set is 50,000ft. And the pressurization ...
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### What are the limiting factors for high altitude planes (e.g: U2 or SR71) preventing them from going higher?

I'm curious as to why planes like the U2 Dragon Lady and the SR71 Blackbird couldn't fly higher. What physical constraint set their operational ceiling? Pilots wore spacesuits, so that wasn't the ...
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### Is the climb rate different for short-haul flight and long-haul flight?

A short-haul flight does not spend much time in its cruise level (let's say less than two hours). Thus, it is important to rapidly reach the optimal flight level and I think this kind of aircraft ...

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