10/28/2020 Why Do Airplanes Fly in the Stratosphere?

- Aircraft Compare

AIRPLANES BY EDITORIAL TEAM

Why Do Airplanes Fly in the

Stratosphere?

photo: Editorial Team

If you’ve ever wondered how high your pilot is taking the plane
you’re on, wonder no more. Planes are usually flying in the
stratosphere, which is the second major layer of the earth’s
atmosphere. The reasons why they do this are very practical
and not that difficult to understand.

Table of Contents

Why Do Airplanes Fly in the Stratosphere?

Practical Reasons to Fly in the Stratosphere
Why Does it Reduce Turbulence?
Flying Faster Makes a Difference
Better Winds to Fly by

Why Do Airplanes Fly in the

Stratosphere?

The main reason airplanes fly in the stratosphere is because this is

where the least amount of turbulence is found. In addition,
because the stratosphere is very dry, there are fewer clouds in this
layer, making for a much smoother ride overall. It is simply the
perfect layer to fly in for a number of reasons.

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Editorial Team
The orange layer is the troposphere, where all of the weather and clouds
which we typically watch and experience are generated and contained. This orange
layer gives way to the whitish Stratosphere and then into the Mesosphere.

Practical Reasons to Fly in the

Stratosphere
There are, of course, very practical reasons for planes to fly in the
stratosphere. In addition to less turbulence, this layer of the
atmosphere allows for much better fuel economy. This is because in
higher altitudes, such as those found in the stratosphere, there is less
air resistance.

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In fact, the air resistance in the stratosphere is about half of the

resistance found on the ground, which means the plane can hold
airspeed at lower power settings, so not as much fuel is used. Lower
power settings always equal better fuel efficiency, which is important
to all airline companies.

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Editorial Team
Earth’s Mechanical Layers (not at scale)

As a general rule, fuel economy gets better with higher altitudes, so

stratosphere flying can save the airlines a lot of money. The more
constant the jet-to-fuel ratio is, the better the fuel economy is, and
this is yet another huge benefit of flying in the stratosphere.

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When planes fly into thin air, such as that found in the stratosphere,
less air enters the engine and less fuel is required to fly the plane,
allowing for both lower fuel costs and a more efficiently run engine in
the long run. It is easy to understand why better fuel economy is
preferred by the airlines.

Why Does it Reduce Turbulence?

Turbulence is caused by many things, but it is often the result of bad
weather. Pilots try to avoid the areas with the most turbulence. Since
most bad weather occurs below the stratosphere, this is one of the
reasons why pilots fly in the stratosphere layer of the atmosphere. But
there are exceptions to this rule.

If there is a really strong thunderstorm, it can poke through the

stratosphere. In these instances, pilots usually just fly around the
storm so they can stay away from them.

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Turbulence can also be caused by clear air turbulence, or CAT, which

occurs when a strong jet stream is found between mixing regions. 

Nevertheless, more often than not, there is little to no bad weather

found in the stratosphere, which results in smooth flying for most
aircraft. Less turbulence is valuable for many reasons and this is why

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flying in the stratosphere layer of the atmosphere is the rule for most
aircraft.

Flying Faster Makes a Difference

As you can imagine, most pilots want to fly as fast as possible while
they’re in the air, and this is what stratosphere flying offers them.
There is less air friction and an increase in the true airspeed, or TAS, of
the airplane, which results in a higher flying speed.

Flying faster is especially important in commercial flights because

passengers always expect their planes to land and take off at a certain
time.

With faster flying speeds, the passengers can count on few or no late
flights and are happy that their flights will take off and land when the
airline company says they will.

Better Winds to Fly by

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. This is why flights from North America
to Europe are faster than flights from Europe to North America. When
the jet stream is pushing an airplane to the east, it is easier for the
plane to make good time.

Editorial Team

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-71 and the U-2, as well as many commercial aircraft
fly in the troposphere, which is one layer under the stratosphere.

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In this layer, there is low resistance and good lift capacity, which
results in a smoother overall flight.

The higher you go in the atmosphere, the thinner the air becomes,
and this type of air can directly affect the smoothness of the flight,
not to mention its speed and overall efficiency.

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About the Author

Editorial Team

All data presented is only indicative and should not be used operationally. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying
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