Modern aviation has made flying safer and more accessible than it was fifty years ago. Planes can fly further and faster than ever before, and passenger service has come along way as well.
Sadly, with all the advancements in jet technology, one thing that hasn’t changed is the speed we reach our destinations. Have you ever wondered why pilots just don’t fly faster?
Airplanes don’t fly faster because they burn more fuel at higher speeds, meaning that it isn’t economical. In addition, operating at higher speeds puts more stress on the engines as well as the airplane fuselage, which causes them to wear down faster.
Another aspect to keep in mind is that many airlines operate on paper-thin margins, and therefore try to save on the high cost of fuel. As such, flying faster isn’t in their interest if it means that ticket prices must increase.
The environmental aspect is also at play here. Flying faster means that the airplane incurs more drag, and that fuel consumption therefore increases. Of course, this is not advisable for an industry that already is a significant emitter of greenhouse gases.
Table of Contents
How Fast Do Commercial Airplanes Fly?
Generally, the cruising speed of most commercial jet aircraft is somewhere between 400-500 knots. This equals roughly 750-950 kph, or 460-580 mph.
Of course, the speed of an aircraft on a particular flight will be affected by not only the airplane’s weight, type, and thrust settings, but also the wind. An airplane with a tailwind will fly faster relative to the ground than one that struggles against a headwind.
The speed of an airplane is most often measured as the speed that the airplane travels through the air. Unsurprisingly, this speed is called airspeed.
The ground speed, on the other hand, provides a reading of the airplane’s speed relative to the ground, as you would measure it in a car.
So, if the plane has a tailwind of 50 mph, and has an airspeed of 450 mph, it means that the ground speed is 500 mph.
This also helps explain why a plane might come in earlier or later than the scheduled arrival time.
Can Airplanes Fly Faster?
Yes, Commercial jets are quite capable of flying faster than they do today. The Boeing 777 has a top speed of 575 MPH but general cruises slower.
So let’s look at why this is the case!
Economic Reasons
Passenger Airlines must offer the cheapest flights with the shortest routes to remain competitive. However, variable expenses such as fuel are calculated into the costs per seat, which dictates the price of plane tickets.
Since the 1960s, the cost of jet fuel has risen dramatically, increasing the overall price of air travel. Since planes operate on a razor-thin margin of 5 percent, they must cut as many costs as they can.
Therefore flying with a full passenger manifest at a slower speed allows the air carrier to turn a small profit. The higher fuel costs mean higher ticket prices, and statistics have shown passengers would prefer to travel cheaper than faster.
Fuel Costs
Fuel costs are the airline’s most significant expense and are an estimated 40 percent of the total operating expenses.
The drastic attempts to reduce fuel consumption is paying off since jet fuel consumption in the United States has declined by almost 15 percent since the turn of the century.
Maintenance Costs
When the aircraft flies are closer to its max speed, it can cause premature wear on the mechanical systems. The excess wear can lead to higher maintenance costs or component failure in flight.
Technical Limitations
Although aircraft fuel efficiency has improved leaps and bounds over the past sixty years, there has been little improvement to improve how fast planes can efficiently fly.
Aircraft engines have also improved energy efficiency and power, which can propel an aircraft through the air at faster speeds. However, again, faster speeds don’t imply larger profit margins.
Passenger Preference: Cost vs. Speed
Surveys have shown that passengers would prefer to save money and spend a long time in the air rather than absorb the higher cost of fuel in their ticket prices. Considering that airlines already provide the fastest means of transportation without further increasing their speeds, they are already delivering what the passengers want.
Supersonic Aircraft: Planes That Actually Flew Faster!
Even though modern passenger jets aren’t flying much faster than they did in the old days, there have been attempts at raising the speed at which airplanes operate during normal cruise.
The perhaps most well-known example is the Concorde.
Watch the short documentary below, or continue reading to find out more about this spectacular airplane, and why it never made it to the masses!
The Concorde is a British/French supersonic passenger airliner that was jointly developed and manufactured by Sud-Aviation British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) under an Anglo-French treaty.
The jet was first flown in 1969 and carried its first passengers in 1976. It was operated by British Airways and Air France for over thirty years before retiring in 2003.
Altogether twenty aircraft were built, and Air France and British Airways were the only airlines to purchase and fly Concorde.
Concorde Design
Designed by Pierre Satre and Sir Archibald Russell Concorde, the aircraft has a long slender-bodied design and ogival delta wings with a tailless design. It is powered by 4 Olympus turbojet engines and was the first airliner to implement a fly-by-wire flight-control system.
The aircraft also had a drooping nose, which could be lowered to improve visibility while maneuvering on the ground.
Economics
Since supersonic flight required higher operating costs, the tickets were costly.
The average price of a ticket for a seat on the Concord would be around 12,000 dollars adjusted for inflation.
The target market for the airline was mainly wealthy passengers. They could afford the high costs associated with traveling at supersonic speeds.
Routes and Flight Speed
The Concorde was well known for its regular transatlantic flights from London and Paris to New York and Washington DC.
It also offered limited flights to Miami and Barbados as well. It had a maximum speed of 1,354 mph/2,180 km/h and could travel at twice the speed of sound (Mach 2.04).
The aircraft could comfortably seat 128 passengers and make the Trans-Atlantic journey in 3.5 hours.
Return to service
In 2015 Club Concorde, a group of Concorde enthusiasts, and ex-Concorde captains, announced that they would be actively trying to restore and return the aircraft to service. The club secured over 160 million British Pounds through donations for the project and had a tentative return date of sometime in 2019.
In April 2019, Emirates Airlines announced that it would attempt to relaunch the most famous supersonic passenger carrier by 2022.
Of the 20 aircraft built, 18 of them were preserved in excellent condition and put on display in museums throughout Europe and The United States. Emirates announced that they will be flying 4 routes between Dubai, Europe, Asia, and the United States.
TU-144 Tupolev: The Russian Competitor
The TU-144 Tupolev was a Russian made supersonic airliner and the only direct competitor of the Concorde. The Tupolev looked strikingly similar to its rival, and the designs were alleged to be stolen.
However, the Russian version suffered from a string of structural and mechanical issues during testing. Tragically, the Tu-144 suffered 2 significant crashes before it could be mass-produced, and the project was subsequently scrapped by government officials.
After The Tupolev’s retirement in 1979, the Russian government continued to utilize the aircraft for special training missions. Due to the jets’ ability to reach supersonic speeds and fly at a ceiling of 80,000 feet, it was mainly used to train astronauts.
Challenges of supersonic flight
So, how come that we aren’t seeing more supersonic aircraft today. After all, the technology has been around for quite some time!
Well, the concept proved to not be as viable as was thought in the beginning.
Here are the main challenges of supersonic flight!
Cost and range
Even if the Concorde was a revolutionary aircraft, it wasn’t nearly as efficient as other airplanes. As oil prices surged, the concept of supersonic flight became less and less attractive.
The high fuel consumption means that supersonic airplanes have significantly shorter range figures than competing aircraft, such as the Boeing 700-series. In fact, the Concorde could barely make it from the UK to the US East Coast.
Structural
Due to the aircraft’s flight characteristics, they are prone to structural failure. During banks and turns at high rates of speed, the G-force can distort or crack the airframe of the jet, which can weaken its structure. The added stress can also make the aircraft difficult to control at supersonic speeds.
In addition, pilots will have less time to react to emergency situations. This lead to
Mechanical
Flying at Mach speeds can lead to a greater chance of mechanical failure. Excessive vibrations and added stress can cause major components to fail in flight. Critical components also need to be inspected and service more often.
Noise Pollution
Another factor that makes supersonic transport programs less attractive to mainstream use is excessive noise pollution. These aircraft require multiple high-powered engines to produce enough thrust to reach Mach 2 speeds. The sound can be heard for miles, and the vibration can cause damage to surrounding structures.
Some believe that to prevent the sonic boom disturbance, the aircraft should only be restricted to over the ocean flights or routes that avoid populated areas.
The jet was so loud that it faced opposition by scientists, technology experts, and “Anti-Concorde” activists due to noise the aircraft produced.
The environmental and social factors associated with noise pollution started to gain the attention of politicians, particularly in the United States. The introduction of the Concorde into New York’s John F Kennedy airport directly contributed to the cities first Noise Abatement law in 1977.
Safety: Concorde Accidents
Although the challenges discussed above were likely to have brought an end to supersonic flights eventually, there was one particular accident that brought the whole Concorde program, and supersonic flights with it, to an abrupt halt.
Air France Flight 4590 departed Paris on the morning of July 25th, 2000. However, it crashed into a hotel in Gonesse a few minutes after it went airborne. All 109 passengers and four people near the crash site were killed instantly.
The incident occurred when a plane that departed before Flight 4590 radioed into ATC that they lost a titanium alloy strip. However, foreign object debris (FOD) search was never conducted as per standard protocol.
During Flight 4590’s takeoff, a piece of this debris ruptured one of the Concorde’s tires, causing it to strike the underside wing’s fuel tank. The aircraft was traveling down the runway too fast and could not stop on the ground. The jet ignited into flames as it left the runway.
The Concorde only had one fatal crash but had several incidents involving structural and mechanical failures throughout its career. As you can expect, this was
Summary
The demand for passenger air travel will double over the next 20 years, while the price of fuel will continue to rise. This means ticket prices will go up for the customer. Since airlines operate on narrow margins, fuel efficiency is its top priority. Even with more efficient power plant systems, the cost of fuel will always dictate how fast you reach your destination.
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