Once at cruising altitude, the aircraft achieves its normal cruise speed, which is typically 80-90% of maximum speed.
How Fast Do Commercial Planes Fly? The concept of racing through the air at dizzying speeds is more than just a pipe fantasy for aviation enthusiasts. It also makes good business sense for people who rely on fast plane travel.
For many travelers, getting there quickly is a priority. Fortunately, commercial airplanes fly at speeds that reduce global travel times to hours. Continue reading to learn how fast planes take off and what determines their speed.
What is a Commercial Airplane?
Boeing 747
They are passenger or cargo planes used by airlines, charter firms, and huge organizations to transport people and commodities on a regular basis. They come in a variety of sizes, from small regional jets to big, long-haul wide body, each with a unique speed capability.
How Fast Passenger Planes Fly in Different Stages.
The speed of commercial planes changes according to the phase of flight, and each plays a distinct role in how these aircraft operate. In general, their cruising speed ranges from 478 to 521 knots (550 to 600 mph). Meanwhile, modern planes can only attain 140 to 156 knots (160-180 mph) when taking off.
Take-off and climb speeds for airplanes.
During this stage, heavier aircraft require higher take-off speeds to generate sufficient lift. Pilots strive to achieve a safe take-off speed as the jet accelerates down the runway, depending on its weight.
Following takeoff, the plane accelerates to climb speed, which is often faster than gaining altitude. Lighter planes usually climb faster.
Cruising Speed
How Fast Do Commercial Planes Fly? This is probably what you are most familiar with. Once at cruising altitude, the aircraft achieves its normal cruise speed, which is typically 80-90% of maximum speed. It is the constant speed maintained during the flight’s primary phase. This is also what we mean when we discuss the speed at which commercial airplanes fly.
Most long-distance commercial flights operate within a narrow range to maintain an optimal balance of time efficiency and fuel economy. Long-haul commercial airplanes go far quicker than regional planes.
Stall Speed
It is the slowest speed that an airplane can travel while maintaining level flight. The airplane cannot create adequate lift below this speed due to limited airflow across the wings.
There is a narrow line between efficient flight and risking a stall, in which the airplane loses control. Pilots must consider it during takeoff and landing, when slow speeds are prevalent.
Maximum Speed
How Fast Do Commercial Planes Fly? There’s the upper limit: the maximum speed an airplane can safely accomplish. It adds a safety buffer above the regular cruising speed. Pilots must be aware of these limits and never exceed them owing to structural constraints.
Understanding the limitations of an aircraft’s capability can be useful in an emergency.
Approach Speed
This is the speed that an aircraft maintains while it prepares to land. As the aircraft begins to descend, the speed is lowered from cruise to approach speed.
The slower target improves landing arrangement and runway alignment. Landing speeds are a sweet spot that allows pilots to safely control the aircraft while being prepared to make any necessary modifications during the final descent. It is faster than the stall speed but slower than cruising.
Factors that affect their speed
The speed of an airplane while in flight is determined by a number of factors, including the plane and the flying circumstances. While maximum speeds are defined, the actual speed at any time can vary depending on a variety of factors.
Engine Thrust
The engines generate thrust, which is a forward propulsion force. More push allows the plane to fly quicker, but less thrust causes it to slow.
Pilots use throttle settings and engine output to regulate and balance speed. More thrust implies more speed, but it’s a delicate balance between fuel efficiency and engine wear, and a rapid loss of power due to engine failure has a significant impact on speed.
Load
We are discussing the plane’s total weight, cargo, fuel, and passengers. Heavier weights increase drag and slow things down, but smaller loads allow the plane to fly quicker with the same thrust. Loading has a substantial impact on acceleration to takeoff and rise to cruise speeds.
Altitude
The air becomes thinner as you ascend higher. Thinner air reduces drag, allowing planes to travel more efficiently at high altitudes.
That is why commercial flights enjoy cruising at altitudes between 31,000 and 42,000 feet. It’s the sweet spot where they can maintain high speeds without using too much fuel.
Weather Conditions: Plane in snow.
Wind and other atmospheric factors play a more complicated role than you may expect. Headwinds hamper forward movement, causing planes to require more thrust and fly slower. Tailwinds accomplish the reverse, allowing an aircraft to gain speed. It’s exactly like sailing. You need to work with the wind, not against it.
How To Measure Airplane Speed
Boeing 747-8
Talking of Boeing 747-8, there are two main types to understand: ground speed and airspeed. Both are significant for various reasons and are assessed in distinct ways.
The term “airspeed” describes an aircraft’s velocity in relation to the surrounding air. It indicates to a pilot how quickly the aircraft cuts through the air and influences all aspects of flying, including lift that keeps you aloft and steering ability.
When it comes to airspeed, pilots monitor several metrics, each of which provides valuable information.
The indicated airspeed (IAS) on the outdated airspeed indicator in the cockpit is the raw airspeed reading. Imagine it like your car’s speedometer, only for a plane. The pitot-static system, which senses the air speeding past the aircraft, is the source of this figure.
IAS plays a critical role in landing, taking off, and pulling off maneuvers. IAS provides pilots with the most pertinent measure of aircraft performance, even if it is not the actual speed through the air. Miles per hour, knots, or Mach numbers are used to measure it.
Airspeed Calibrated (CAS)
CAS is just IAS with certain adjustments made. It fixes any mistakes in the instrument or where it is located on the aircraft.
IAS can become a little wrong as you ascend higher and the air becomes thinner. By accounting for it, CAS provides a more realistic representation of the airspeed associated with the aerodynamics of the aircraft.
Flight planning and figuring out actual performance are done with CAS. For CAS, pilots must consult the flight manual and make the necessary IAS corrections.
True Airspeed (TAS)
TAS is what airspeed boils down to when you account for air density changes at different altitudes. It’s the actual speed at which your plane is flying through the air. Pilots need to know TAS for accurate navigation, especially during long flights over varied altitudes.
Equivalent Airspeed (EAS)
EAS is TAS but adjusted for air density at sea level. When you’re way up high, the air is less dense, so EAS gives you a speed reading as if you were cruising at sea level. It’s handy for understanding how the plane would handle at those higher altitudes as if flying lower down.
Speed on the Ground
What does “ground speed” mean? It means how fast the plane is going over the ground.
It’s important for figuring out when you’ll get there and finding your way. Ground speed is affected by things like wind, which can either speed you up or slow you down. Airspeed is only affected by the air hitting the plane.
GPS is the most popular way to measure ground speed these days. Not quite as simple as the GPS in your car, but still pretty cool.
Satellites are used by this system to pinpoint where the plane is and watch it move over the ground below. It takes into account the direction and wind speed to give a correct reading of the ground speed in real-time. It works well, is quick, and is easy.
People who fly used Doppler radar and inertial guidance systems before GPS took over.
Signals are bounced off the ground by Doppler radar to measure speed, much like how bats use sound to find their way. Inertial systems, on the other hand, follow motion from a center that is known. When the plane’s position changes, they help figure out how fast the plane is going.
Popular commercial planes’ cruise speeds
We’ll look at some well-known business planes and their cruise speeds, which are given in miles per hour or March, which is the speed of sound.
Types of Jet Engines
Four engines with turbofans
These are the big, long-haul planes that you’ll usually see these beasts of the sky. These planes have four turbofan engines, which let them move a lot of people and goods over long distances quickly.
- 580 mph for the Boeing 747
- 561 mph for the Airbus A380
- 541 mph for the Airbus A340
- Two engines with turbofans
This is the most usual way for both commercial planes and business jets to be set up. This setup is a good mix of speed and efficiency, though it is a bit slower. There are both short- and long-haul trips that these planes can do.
- 521 mph for Boeing 737
- 515 mph for the Airbus A320
- 652 mph for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner
- 561 mph for the Airbus A350
- Three engines with turbofans
These days, trijets are a bit of an oddity in the middle. But they were pretty popular back then because they were in between the big, thirsty four-engine cars and the small, heavy twin-engine cars.
- Doug McDonnell, MD-11: 551 mph
- 604 mph for the Lockheed L-1011 TriStar
- Both engines are turboprops.
Since these planes have turbine engines that power blades, they use less fuel at lower speeds and altitudes than planes with jet engines. They aren’t the fastest or most stylish. But they’ll get you where you need to go, even if the trip is rough or short.
- ATR 72: 320 mph
- Saab 340: 326 mph
- 410 mph for the Bombardier Dash 8 Q400
- 343 mph for the Embraer EMB 120
Speeding up
A small group of business planes that can cruise at speeds faster than sound. However, their high costs, noise, and fuel use have made them less practical for most trips.
- It goes at Mach 2.04 (1,350 mph).
- Tupolev Tu-144: March 2 (1,400 mph)
- Mach 1.7 (1308 mph) for Boom Overture
Questions People Ask Often
How fast do planes fly now compared to the past?
Commercial planes’ average speed has slowly gone up over time as engine power and aerodynamic designs have gotten better. Propeller planes of the past moved much more slowly than business airliners do today, which can easily cruise at speeds between 550 and 600 mph.
When setting the cruise speed, how do the pilots decide?
Pilots choose the best cruise speed by looking at the plane’s performance range, how much fuel it uses, what air traffic control needs, and the weather. To make sure the flight is safe, on time, and doesn’t cost too much, they try to find a mix between speed and fuel use.
When you fly faster, do you use more fuel?
In general, going faster does mean using more gas. But the link between speed and fuel use is not a straight line. Because air resistance goes up with speed, fuel economy goes down. This makes flying at high speeds use more fuel.
Should I worry about how fast the plane is going when it takes off?
Not at all. Pilots and planes are trained and built to safely handle high takeoff speeds. To make sure a safe climb, these speeds are carefully estimated based on the weight of the plane, the length of the runway, and the weather.
Are passenger jets that fly faster than sound coming back?
With the recent start of new projects, supersonic flight looks like it could happen again. There are still problems to solve, though, like the high costs, the need for fuel, and noise issues, before it can be widely used.
In Conclusion
Even though supersonic planes haven’t been found yet, most business planes today fly at a respectable 550 mph or more. Remember, though, that speed isn’t everything. Also very important are comfort, economy, and safety.
But the race for speed is far from over. There are still plans to make planes go faster than sound. Tomorrow, the sky might get a lot faster.
