What happens when an airplane flies too high?

When the plane gets too high, there is insufficient oxygen to fuel the engines. “The air is less dense at altitude, so the engine can suck in less and less air per second as it goes higher and at some point the engine can no longer develop sufficient power to climb.” …

Why do planes release white smoke?

Condensation in Exhaust Gases As the airplane’s engines release exhaust gases, moisture vapor is released as well. The cold temperature and low air pressure at high altitudes forces this moisture to condense, which creates the characteristic white smoke trail for which airplanes have become widely known.

Why is there smoke in the airplane?

Planes have the air conditioner outlets on the ceiling. The cold air condenses the water vapour and make them visible. You could say they are like clouds. You would see the “smoke” after the engines are turned on, as at that time the pilots decrease the temperature settings of the AC and increase the air flow.

How high do military planes fly?

Air Force One also flies high — it can reach a maximum altitude of 45,100 feet, which is far above than the usual cruising altitude for commercial flights.

Can planes fly through smoke?

“Commercial airliners fly through mild and moderate smoke without problems in most cases,” aerospace engineer Ben Frank, the founder of aircraft maintenance software company Rotabull, told TripSavvy.

Can Planes fly through smoke?

There is one case, however, in which planes won’t fly through smoke. Some of the most severe wildfires can produce a pyrocumulonimbus cloud, a thunderstorm that forms from the heat and smoke, which NASA refers to as a “ fire-breathing dragon of clouds.”

Why don’t planes fly during a wildfire?

Those are a no-go for airplanes, but not because of the smoke itself: planes avoid all kinds of thunderstorms, including wildfire-induced ones, because the extremely turbulent atmospheric conditions could cause significant problems for the aircraft, its crew, and its passengers. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know!

Why do Jets leave a white trail in the sky?

Jets leave white trails, or contrails, in their wakes for the same reason you can sometimes see your breath. The hot, humid exhaust from jet engines mixes with the atmosphere, which at high altitude is of much lower vapor pressure and temperature than the exhaust gas.

Why do airplanes have contrails in the sky?

They are not smoke from the engines, they are formed when the water in jet engine exhaust (and there’s quite a lot of it, like car exhaust on a cold day) mixes with wet cold air and condenses and freezes into ice crystals. Contrails are actually a type of cirrus cloud.