Why do planes fly so high?

Answer 1

The stratosphere (overlaying the tropopause) shows very little temperature differences and air density is very low meaning jets and/or planes burning a lot less fuel resulting in further travel ranges.

Also at temperatures of around minus 45 to minus 50 degrees Celsius (varying with latitude) there's no hazard of icing!

Answer 2

In the stratosphere the air is thinner, and it's easier to fly. Also, speeds vary in the air and the ground. An Air plane doing 280 kts in the air, as indicated by the pilot's instruments, is doing more that 500 MPh on the ground.

Answer 3

Planes fly in the stratosphere, the second layer of atmosphere. From what I learned in science class, airplanes fly in the stratosphere because it's stable, and there aren't a lot of clouds to slow them down. Although, if you're flying a short flight ( ex. Sioux Falls, South Dakota to Phoenix, Arizona, which is about 2 hours ), planes will fly a bit lower than normal. It also depends of air traffic. If there are a lot of planes flying a long distance, they tend to fly at around 40-48 thousand feet, such as a flight from Minneapolis, Minnesota to Anchorage, Alaska, which is over 6 hours. Shorter flights fly from around 32-38 thousand feet, depending on weather, air traffic, and flight distance. I hope this answered your question!

Answer 4

airplanes fly higher because the air is thinner which lets the travel faster with the use of less fuel and to avoid sky scrapers and things