How Fast Does An Airplane Travel?

Airplanes are among the quickest means of transport available to most individuals within the society. Thanks to advanced technology in the aviation industry, aircraft are able to fly at very great speeds, hence it takes us a few hours to cross countries or even oceans. But just how fast do airplanes really travel? Let’s have a closer look.

Commercial Aircraft Cruising Speeds

Today’s commercial jet airliners have a cruising speed which varies from approximately 460 to 575 mph. This is approximately 700 to 925 kilometers per hour. The exact speed depends on several factors.

• Aircraft type. Wide-body aircraft are generally larger and have higher cruising speeds as compared to narrow-body aircraft. For instance, the Boeing 747 has a typical cruising speed of 570 miles per hour while an Airbus A320 has a cruising speed of 530 miles per hour.
• Specific model. Recent generations of the same basic airplane models are designed to be more fuel efficient and tend to be slightly slower.
• Flight length. Long haul flights may fly at their maximum speed as to save time while short haul flights may fly slow in order to save fuel.
• Altitude. If a plane is flying high, then there is less air resistance and this can make it go faster.
• Weight. A plane that has less weight that is the number of passengers or the amount of cargo it is carrying will be able to fly quicker than a plane that is fully loaded.

Typically, 460-475 mph is used for short domestic economy class flights while 550+ mph is used for long transoceanic business class trips.

The Speed Potential of the Military Aircraft

While military aircraft are designed for high performance, they may fly several times faster than commercial aircraft at a speed of over twice the speed of sound. Examples include:

• Fighter jets: 1000 to 1500 mph
  
• Strategic bombers: More than 600 mph
  
• Attack helicopters: 200 mph

It may surprise you to know that the current record holder for piloted airplanes is the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird at over 2100mph! It attained these phenomenal velocities via specialized jet engines paired with aerodynamics that minimized drag. It was useful for reconnaissance to the military from the 1960s up to the 1990s, and its speed could not be matched by any other aircraft.

Speed Measurement Terminology

Aircraft speeds use several standardized measurements

True Airspeed (TAS) – The speed that a particular aircraft has when compared to the mass of air it is traveling through irrespective of the altitude of the air or the prevailing conditions. This is the true measure of performance when it comes to an aircraft.

Indicated Airspeed (IAS) – The speed that is displayed on the pilot’s instrument, where corrections for instrument inaccuracies have been made.

Calibrated Airspeed (CAS) – The indicated airspeed adjusted with instrument and position errors thereby giving a better representation of the true airspeed. This is displayed to pilots during the time of flying.

Ground Speed (GS) – The airplane’s velocity on the surface of the earth, depending on direction of travel and wind factors. A commercial airplane traveling at 500 mph TAS with direct course has to overcome a 100 mph headwind; its GS is 400 mph.

Mach Number – The relation between the true airspeed and the speed of sound in the surrounding area. At sea level standard conditions, Mach 1 equals to 761 mph. Supersonic planes have a Mach number that is greater than one.

Aviation Speed Records

The current record for the fastest manned airplane is the North American X-15 rocket plane which flew at a speed of over 4,500 mph, or six and a half times the speed of sound in 1967. Rocket propelled flights have even gone beyond 17,000 miles per hour.

The current record for fastest land speed is 763 mph and was achieved by SpaceShipOne in 2004 in its first private space flight.

For airliners the current subsonic speed record holder is the Boeing 747-400 which reached a speed of 1,188 km/h (739 mph) during test flight in 1996.

The current record for sustained supercruise flight above Mach 1.5 is the Lockheed F-22 Raptor fighter, which flew for 90+ minutes during an acceptance flight in 2000. This ability makes it have a special edge during battle since its main role will be to fight enemy forces.

Key Takeaways

Typically, commercial aircrafts maintain a speed of between 460 to 575 mph while cruising, with other military jets and rocket planes going over 4500 mph and in some cases even Mach 6. The wide range depicted just how much the aviation technology has advanced in less than one century of the first airplane flights.

Future improvements in aerospace technology and the development of new materials such as composites and ceramics will help to sustain increases in aircraft speed far into the future. They say the sky is the limit!

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