Crazy. When i go visit my Dad in Memphis every year for a month, that's what the sky looks like quite a bit by him. I'm in San Diego and never see that here. LOL
One privilege (and there are many) of flying a jet (especially one with a fair amount of range) is that you get to see LOTS of variety of weather and terrain. Thunderstorms from above, arctic ice that blurs the distinction between sea and land, clear blue as far as the eye can see, forest fires and smoke filling the air, low fog, and towering buildups at sunset. It's a privileged life, somebody gets to live it :)
Gladly! Most of the time I'm well above them. But.... I've had a few flights where I was at FL490 coming up on some thunderstorm build-ups and thought "ummmm, yeah, we're going around those..." (do not tempt anything that builds THAT high 😉 )
So... the FLmax is 510 'by the book'. As a matter of curiosity, does it usually make the most sense to fly right up there near max (and 485-490 is definitely 'near!'), or what? If I remember, one of the chief fuel-savings is to cruise at as high an altitude as your craft is rated for, of course tempered by finding the right strata to minimize headwinds or deliver a nice hot jetstream tail. Mr Curious here...
Good question! Yes, jets are especially sensitive to the fuel burn/altitude trade-off. The two variables that strongly affect how high I can fly are weight (the biggest factor here is how much fuel I put on), and Outside Air Temperature (OAT) with reference to International Standard Atmosphere (ISA). Higher weights increase my "induced drag" (because I'm creating more lift AND at a higher lift coefficient). Colder temps allow the engines to make more thrust (because the air is more dense). If I take off at gross weight (36,000 lbs) with a full 13,000 lbs of fuel, and the temp at altitude is ISA +10 degrees then I can only get this Citation X to 40,000 feet initially (higher later in the flight after I burn off fuel). If I take off with half fuel (enough for a 3 hour flight like I did today FOK-OPF) and the temp is ISA -10 deg then I can go to 47,000'. For the X you will normally burn 2,000 lbs of fuel per hour at 43,000'. For each 2,000' you go up you burn 200 lbs of fuel per hour less (and for each 2,000' you go down you burn 200 lbs per hour more. 49,000' is as high as I've seen under good/light conditions normally. I have seen 50,000' a few times and 51,000' once.
Crazy. When i go visit my Dad in Memphis every year for a month, that's what the sky looks like quite a bit by him. I'm in San Diego and never see that here. LOL
One privilege (and there are many) of flying a jet (especially one with a fair amount of range) is that you get to see LOTS of variety of weather and terrain. Thunderstorms from above, arctic ice that blurs the distinction between sea and land, clear blue as far as the eye can see, forest fires and smoke filling the air, low fog, and towering buildups at sunset. It's a privileged life, somebody gets to live it :)
That was cool !! Thanks for sharing …..Flight level almost four eight zero ……..!!
Gladly! Most of the time I'm well above them. But.... I've had a few flights where I was at FL490 coming up on some thunderstorm build-ups and thought "ummmm, yeah, we're going around those..." (do not tempt anything that builds THAT high 😉 )
@@jetboy1891 what kind of plane do you fly ?
@@martinruanesr2690 Cessna Citation X (C750)
@@jetboy1891 I love those Citations…..Keep up the great work I’m a new subscriber now 🤓🇺🇸
So... the FLmax is 510 'by the book'. As a matter of curiosity, does it usually make the most sense to fly right up there near max (and 485-490 is definitely 'near!'), or what? If I remember, one of the chief fuel-savings is to cruise at as high an altitude as your craft is rated for, of course tempered by finding the right strata to minimize headwinds or deliver a nice hot jetstream tail. Mr Curious here...
Good question! Yes, jets are especially sensitive to the fuel burn/altitude trade-off. The two variables that strongly affect how high I can fly are weight (the biggest factor here is how much fuel I put on), and Outside Air Temperature (OAT) with reference to International Standard Atmosphere (ISA). Higher weights increase my "induced drag" (because I'm creating more lift AND at a higher lift coefficient). Colder temps allow the engines to make more thrust (because the air is more dense). If I take off at gross weight (36,000 lbs) with a full 13,000 lbs of fuel, and the temp at altitude is ISA +10 degrees then I can only get this Citation X to 40,000 feet initially (higher later in the flight after I burn off fuel). If I take off with half fuel (enough for a 3 hour flight like I did today FOK-OPF) and the temp is ISA -10 deg then I can go to 47,000'. For the X you will normally burn 2,000 lbs of fuel per hour at 43,000'. For each 2,000' you go up you burn 200 lbs of fuel per hour less (and for each 2,000' you go down you burn 200 lbs per hour more. 49,000' is as high as I've seen under good/light conditions normally. I have seen 50,000' a few times and 51,000' once.
Wow! That’s Cool!
It was very cool :) And a little intimidating...