How close can planes fly to the ground?

How close can planes fly to the ground?

The Federal Aviation Regulation (FAR) Part 91.119 indicates that, except when necessary for departure or landing, the minimum altitude over urban areas is 1,000 feet above ground level (AGL) and 500 feet AGL over rural areas.

Why can’t airplanes fly lower?

According to NASA, large commercial airplanes typically can’t fly higher than 7.5 miles. At this altitude, the air isn’t dense enough to support a large airplane. It may produce some lift, but it won’t be enough to prevent the airplane from falling down to a lower altitude where the air is denser.

Do Planes see other planes when flying?

Question: Should I have been concerned when I looked out the window and saw another aircraft below and to the right, at a distance, yet visible? Answer: No, the pilots and air traffic controllers know when airplanes will pass each other. There are strict separation standards to ensure that a safe margin is maintained.

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Can airplanes fly close to the ground?

Airplanes can certainly fly close to the ground, however … … jets tend to burn more fuel at lower altitudes. Flight altitude affects engine efficiency. Jet-engine efficiency increases at altitude up to the tropopause, the temperature minimum of the atmosphere; at lower temperatures, the engine efficiency is higher. [1]

Why do planes not fly in straight lines to their destination?

Why Airplanes Don’t Always Fly in Straight Lines to Their Destination. Depending on the altitude, the minimum separation distance changes. That is because less sophisticated planes have pressure sensitive altimeters which are less accurate at higher altitudes — greater separation at higher altitudes compensates for risk.

Why can’t airplanes go straight up and let the earth pass beneath?

Why can’t airplanes go straight up and let the Earth pass beneath? The answer is – NO, you cannot have an airplane go straight up and let the Earth pass underneath to reach your destination, unless you are willing to burn an incredibly large amount of fuel and make the journey downright uneconomical.

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Why do planes not fly at low altitudes?

Difficulty in radar detection is not the only reason aircraft avoid low altitudes. The earth’s terrain is not smooth and flat everywhere. Mountains, forests, rivers, plains, cities etc mean that flying at low altitudes is very hard without hitting these objects.