How fast do commercial planes descend?

Idle descent in many jets is around 3,000 feet per minute until reaching 10,000 feet. There is a speed restriction of 250 knots below 10,000 feet, therefore the flight management computer will slow the aircraft to 250 knots and continue the descent at approximately 1,500 feet per minute.

Why does it take longer to fly westbound than eastbound?

The reason it took so much longer to fly back is the jet stream, a river of fast-moving air high up in the sky. Jet streams generally blow from the west to the east around the Earth, often following a meandering, curved path just like a river on land.

How do planes slow down so fast when landing?

When flying, the thrust is projected out the rear of an airplane’s engines. When landing, however, pilots may use the reverse thrust feature. Reverse thrust changes the direction of the engines’ thrust. This reversal of thrust provides deceleration that allows airplanes to slow down more quickly when landing.

How long does a plane descent take?

Taking this into consideration, how long does it take for a plane to descend? Practically, the average minimum time required to land a plane is 10 minutes. However, due to a number of factors, it takes about 30 minutes for an airplane to descend from its cruising altitude to the runway.

Why is it quicker to fly west to east?

Jet streams are, at their most basic, high-altitude air currents caused by atmospheric heating and the inertia of the earth’s rotation—and they’re the reason why flights from west to east are faster than the same route traversed in the opposite direction.

Why do flights take so long?

One of the reasons flights are taking longer is due to the cost of jet fuel. According to Business Insider, when the price of fuel rose from $0.70 per gallon to over $3, airlines realized they could save a great deal of money simply by flying their planes slower, thereby using less fuel.

How does a 737 slow down?

Larger turboprop aircraft have propellers that can be adjusted to produce rearward thrust after touchdown, rapidly slowing the aircraft. Commercial jet transport aircraft come to a halt through a combination of brakes, spoilers to increase wing drag and thrust reversers on the engines.

How does a 737 stop?

In general, when the wheels touch the ground, a set of spoilers raise up quickly, which kills the lift provided by the wings. This lever controls the speed brakes, or ground spoilers. Here, it is shown in the armed position, prior to landing (Image via Boeing 737 Technical Site / Chris Brady).

What is the most difficult airliner to fly?

Ranking The 20 Toughest Planes In The Sky

• 8 Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21.
• 7 McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom.
• 6 Boeing B-52 Stratofortress.
• 5 Boeing B-29 Superfortress.
• 4 Lockheed P-38 Lightning.
• 3 Northrop Grumman B-2.
• 2 Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird.
• 1 B-36 Peacemaker.

How does altitude affect the descent rate of an aircraft?

At that point the lower the aircraft goes, the slower the TAS will be, as a consequence, the descent rate will slow down proportionately. At the same time, idle thrust at high altitude is quite low. The lower the aircraft goes, the higher idle thrust will be, further moderating descent rate.

How does descent rate depend on true airspeed?

A normal descent is almost a glide, with the engines producing minimum idle thrust. In that scenario, descent rate is largely proportional to TAS (true airspeed).

Why is there a higher rate of descent at the beginning?

Reasons for higher rate of descent at the initial part of descent, could be anything from a late handoff from a previous center sector, to restricted/military areas being active, or having to wait til late to start a descent.

Why do planes take so long to descend for landing?

Question: Aircraft achieve altitude fairly quickly on takeoff, so why the long, slow descent for landing? Answer: In most cases, air-traffic control instructs the pilots to begin their descent. Often it is earlier than the optimum distance but necessary to get the aircraft in line with traffic ahead.