How close do planes fly to space?

Well, the shortest distance to enter ‘space’ is 100 kilometers (62 miles); after you’ve traversed that far, only then can you expect to cross Earth’s boundary and enter suborbital space (provided that everything works as planned). As discussed above, airplanes can’t even think of going that high.

How slow can a plane fly?

Technically this is the so-called ‘stall speed’, where air passes over the wings fast enough to sustain altitude, and for small planes this can be less than 50km/h (31mph). But at such low speeds, the aircraft is easily destabilised, and could fail to leave the runway.

Can planes fly thunderstorms?

Summer is here – and with it comes afternoon thunderstorms. These can disrupt flights because flying through or landing in thunderstorms can be hazardous. The high winds, turbulence and potential microbursts within thunderstorms make them something that pilots avoid.

Why can’t airplanes fly in space?

Cars, trucks and SUVs all use air as part of their combustion process. If an airplane flies in space, it won’t be able to suck in fresh air with which to supply its engines, resulting in loss of propulsion. The bottom line is that airplanes can’t fly in space because there is no air in space.

How high can an airplane fly?

According to NASA, large commercial airplanes typically can’t fly higher than 7.5 miles. At this altitude, the air isn’t dense enough to support a large airplane. It may produce some lift, but it won’t be enough to prevent the airplane from falling down to a lower altitude where the air is denser.

How do airplanes fly?

As explained by NASA, airplanes are able to fly because of lift. Nearly every part of an airplane produces some degree of lift, but the wings are responsible for most of an airplane’s lift. An airplane’s wings are designed so that air moves faster over the top of the wings and slower under the bottom of the wings.