What is the maximum speed of a passenger plane. Flight altitude of different types of aircraft. The concept of stall speed

Fly around the Earth in a couple of hours. It's not a myth, it's a reality if you're a passenger on a super-fast plane.

Boeing X-43

The X-43A was designed and built by 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 no different large sizes. Its wingspan is only one and a half meters, while the length is only 3.6 meters. The fastest aircraft was equipped with an experimental Supersonic Combustion Ramjet (SCRamjet) ramjet supersonic combustion engine. 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 begin to allocate space for special tanks for oxygen, it is taken directly from the atmosphere. This allowed 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 Boeing world 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

For the first time, this fastest aircraft in the world was tested in the spring of 2001. And it took 7 years and 250 million dollars to create and test the Hyper-X engine. 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 aircraft 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. The aircraft, although it flies quickly, has an impressive mass of 1270 kilograms. The maximum height it can reach is 75 kilometers.

North American X-15

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

SR-71 ("Blackbird")

MiG-25 ("Bat")

Fighter-interceptor MIG-25 - the fastest aircraft in Russia

MiG-31

McDonnell-Douglas F-15 ("Eagle")

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

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

First developments

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

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

There are several good reasons for this:

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

Today there are no functioning supersonic liners for transporting passengers. In the history of the structure of air transport, there were only two such models:

• TU-144, flying about 2150-2300 kilometers in one hour. Was developed in the Soviet Union;
• Concorde is a British development. He is able to overcome 2150 kilometers per hour.

Aircraft classification

Experts subdivide all models into different types depending on the parameters of the wings, their shape, location, type of chassis, engine, takeoff, etc.

Depending on the pace, movement is divided into four types:

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

IN modern aviation liners are used first, and in several European states- the second group.

Models of the transonic group move at the speed of sound, while supersonic and hypersonic ones exceed this figure by 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 the maximum).

The board with passengers is not able to reach the maximum speed, so the cruising value is used.

Additional Information! The developers indicate both values ​​\u200b\u200bin the technical documentation for the model (maximum and cruising speed).

How fast is the plane flying

Liners overcome the same distance for a different period of time. The table below shows in more detail what speed can develop with passenger aircraft in flight and its purpose.

Characteristics of passenger air transport

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

The takeoff speed of the liner depends on its individual technical performance.

Takeoff sequence:

1. Set engine speed. The aircraft begins to move when the engine performs about 810 or more revolutions per minute.
2. Speed ​​set. The movement of the 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, he needs to accelerate to the mark of 185 kilometers per hour.
4. Height is gaining. As soon as it reaches the mark of 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 at separation from the surface

The correct operation of the vessel depends on the accuracy of the calculation of its speed at the time of lifting into the air and climbing. 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. Average speed modern aircraft at the time of separation differs depending on the model. Some Meanings different types shown in the table below.

The average speed of the liner at the time of takeoff from the ground

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

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

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

Due to strong gusts of wind of the opposite direction, it is not enough to develop the maximum acceleration of the vessel for a full take-off. To take off, you need to develop a speed twice the usual value. If the wind is fair, a minimum acceleration is sufficient.

Landing nuances

Landing an airplane is no less important than taking off. It includes several stages:

• lowering the level of height;
• unit alignment;
• keeping it in a stable position;
• mileage.

Aircraft with a large weight should start landing from a height of 25 m, and with a small mass - 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 lower its altitude, land on runway and will slow down to a complete stop.

Video

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

How fast do passenger planes fly? Everyone who has flown on an airplane knows that during the flight, passengers are always informed about the speed of the aircraft. In different various conditions different speed value. Let's take a closer look at this interesting question.

Classification of aircraft by speed

Nowadays, it has become customary to measure speed with the speed of sound. The speed of sound in air is 1,224 km/h. Based on the correspondence of the speed characteristics of the aircraft to the speed of sound, all aircrafts are classified as follows:

• subsonic - fly at speeds below the speed of sound;
• supersonic - fly at speeds exceeding the speed of sound (speaking of speeds commensurate with the speed of sound, they use the concept of "transonic" or "transonic");
• hypersonic - exceed the speed of sound by 4 times or more.

All passenger ships are classified as subsonic, as they fly at speeds that usually do not exceed the speed of sound.

And yet in history civil aviation had experience using supersonic passenger aircraft.

The legendary past of supersonic civil aviation: Tu-144 and Concorde

Revealing the question of how fast passenger aircraft fly today, one cannot fail to mention the supersonic passenger aircraft of the past - Tu-144 and Concorde. These two legends of world aviation saw the light almost simultaneously.

The best minds worked on the creation of the ultra-high-speed "Tu-144" Soviet Union. It made its first test flight in late 1968.

The Concorde was the brainchild of the Franco-British Union of Aircraft Designers. He first took to the skies in early 1969.

Both planes looked very similar to each other. The speed of the Tu-144 was 2,300 km/h, the speed of the Concorde was 2,150 km/h.

A significant drawback of both monsters of aviation was the unbearable noise during the flight, emanating from the engines and the air conditioning system.

The first accident with the Tu-144 occurred in 1973 at the international air show Le Bourget in France. The plane crashed to the ground during a test flight. The exact cause of this disaster remains unknown. In 1978, there was a second crash - in the Moscow region, during the control and acceptance flight, the side of the aircraft caught fire. The pilots managed to land the car and evacuate, but it was not possible to stop the fire - the plane burned down. After this incident, passenger flights on the Tu-144 were stopped forever.

The aircraft "Concorde" continued to carry out successful passenger flights until July 25, 2000. On that terrible day, the Concorde passenger liner, flying from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, crashed 3 minutes after takeoff. 113 people died. This tragedy was the reason for the ban on the use of Concorde aircraft. Subsequently, this ban was lifted, since, according to the results of a detailed examination technical condition of all the Concorde aircraft, not a single defect was identified. However, in 2003 major airlines Great Britain and France announced the refusal to operate ships of this brand.

Since then, the world's civil aviation has preferred simpler, quieter and more economical subsonic vessels, and the use of supersonic vehicles for passenger traffic left in the past.

The concept of aircraft cruising speed

Aircraft speed is a complex and not always unambiguous concept, depending on many factors.

First of all, you need to understand the difference between cruising and maximum speeds. IN technical description aircraft, both of these indicators are indicated, but the maximum speed of a passenger aircraft is a theoretical concept, since liners on working flights do not develop maximum speed, but adhere to cruising, which is approximately 60-80% of the maximum design speed of a particular airliner model.

There are also concepts of acceleration speed, takeoff and But if we are talking about a generalized concept, then, as a rule, it is cruising speed that is meant.

Speed ​​indicators of civil and military aviation

According to their purpose, aircraft are civil and military. Civil aircraft, in turn, can be not only passenger, but also intended for specific needs: sports, fire, cargo, agricultural, etc.

It is not surprising that the speed performance of civil and military aviation differ greatly from each other. Such a big difference due to radically different purposes for the use of airships. primary goal passenger liners- safety, efficiency and comfort for passengers, while for the military aviation technology speed matters.

The average flight speed of a passenger aircraft in our time is about 900 km / h, which is about 3-4 times lower average speed military aircraft. By the way, the fastest of the military aircraft of our time is the NASA unmanned X-43A, which set a speed record of 11,231 km / h.

And yet, at what speed do passenger planes fly? Below are the speeds of the most common and frequently used aircraft models in civil aviation.

The cruising and maximum speeds of some passenger aircraft

It is worth mentioning that the speed of a passenger aircraft in the air is significantly influenced by weather. The amount of air density and the strength and direction of the wind can significantly affect the actual speed.

Expanding the topic of the speed of passenger aircraft, we should mention the so-called stall speed.

The concept of stall speed

Too low flight speeds are dangerous for air transport, therefore, for each aircraft model, the minimum allowable flight speed required to keep the aircraft in the air is V min additional, or the stall speed. If the value of the flight speed falls below the mark V min add, then a threat occurs. The value of V min add depends on many constants and variables and is especially critical in the take-off phase. As an example, for a Boeing 747 model, the estimated stall speed is 220 km/h. The actual stall speed may differ from the calculated one depending on the direction and strength of the wind.

Summarizing the above information about the speed at which passenger aircraft fly, we can give the following answer: the generally accepted average limits are 600-900 km / h.

It is impossible to answer unequivocally, as I recently became convinced when I myself became interested in this issue. Everyone has their own speed, and not one, but several. In general, I will try to explain clearly.

Types of aircraft speeds

The speed of the aircraft depends on the model and intended purpose of the machine. For example, the well-known "corn" accelerates to a maximum of 155 km / h, and some cars can easily get ahead of it. But the twin-engine An-24 reaches 450 km / h, which is called cruising speed. In general, when talking about the speed of an aircraft, they always specify which one is meant:

• take-off - the one at which he begins to break away from runway;
• track - own, plus the speed of air masses;
• cruising - the main mode, as a rule, it is up to 80% of the maximum;
• maximum - the limit of possibilities.

And most importantly: the speed of propeller-driven aircraft is an order of magnitude lower than that of jet aircraft.

How fast do planes fly

Nowadays, 500 km / h is no longer the ultimate dream, moreover, a solid part of passenger liners almost doubles this figure. So, cruising speed of some types:

• Airbus-310 - 890 km/h;
• Airbus-330 - 935 km/h;
• Boeing 777-200 - 910 km/h;
• Boeing 747 - 955 km/h;
• Boeing 737 - 920 km/h.

It should be noted that hypersonic vehicles also existed in the history of passenger aviation. For example, Concord accelerated to 2100 km / h, and its competitor - TU-144, almost to 2350 km / h. However, today they are not used for a number of reasons, the main of which is the increased risk at such speeds. Well, as for the record holder, it was a military aircraft. It happened back in 1976, when the Lockheed SR-71 overcame the threshold of 3530 km / h.

But in order to fly, you must first accelerate. For each car, this is an individual figure, because not only the lifting force is important, but also the weight, as well as the direction of the wind. At the same time, depending on the load, for the same aircraft, the take-off speed will change - the lighter the machine, the lower this indicator will be.

Each aircraft has individual specifications, according to which it is operated. The process of lifting the liner into the air is carried out in stages.

1. Engine revs. Approximately at 800-820 rpm, the aircraft begins to move along the runway.
2. Acceleration and acceleration. The pilot controls the aircraft on the ground, achieving the required speed while in a stable position on three wheels.
3. Takeoff and climb. To carry out the actual takeoff, it is required to accelerate the aircraft to 185 km / h and smoothly raise the nose by pulling the handle. As a result, the ship continues to move on two wheels and takes off from the ground, reaching a speed of 225 km / h.

Above are approximate figures for the Boeing-737 model. The higher the mass of the liner, the greater the speed it must develop on the ground. In addition, external factors also play a role during takeoff and climb. These are the direction and strength of the wind, the density of the air flow, humidity, the quality and condition of the runway.

In cases where strong wind against the movement of the aircraft, you may need indicators that exceed the standard twice. At the same time, in the reverse situation, when the wind is fair, the efforts will be minimal.

Plane landing

Landing an aircraft is the opposite of taking off. Accordingly, all stages are performed in the reverse order: smooth descent, landing approach and straightening out, holding the aircraft and touching the runway.

Heavy liners begin the process of direct landing from a height of 20-25 meters. Here the determining parameter is the mass of the aircraft. The speed of entry is directly related to the weight.

When trying to calculate the time spent in the air and overcoming the distance between points on their own, it should be borne in mind that pilots rarely develop the maximum possible indicators for the vessel. Even with characteristics close to supersonic, the liner will move at a comfortable and energy-efficient cruising speed. Thus, when calculating, you need to focus on average values.

At the current stage of development passenger aviation is in front of the sound barrier. Given the previous history, we can conclude that in the near future the obstacle will be taken. Civil liners will enter a new frontier. The main task is to fly further, faster, at minimal cost.