Altitude can play a significant role in the quality of your air charter experience. It may not seem important, but the flight level of your aircraft can actually affect the amount of turbulence and inclement weather conditions you may encounter during your flight.
To better understand how altitude affects charter flights, you must first understand the relationship between the Earth’s atmosphere and the location of your aircraft in the sky.
To begin with, our planet is divided into five different, gas-filled atmospheric layers. The closest layer to the surface contains all of Earth’s weather. This layer is known as the troposphere and it begins at the ground and extends to about 26,000 feet in the summer and 42,000 feet in the winter. Most private aircraft operate in the troposphere or in the tropopause, the thin layer that separates the troposphere from the stratosphere.
Since the troposphere contains all of Earth’s weather, private aircraft are far more likely to encounter turbulence and inclement weather conditions while flying through the troposphere. Though turbulence is more of a nuisance than a threat, it can become dangerous if passengers aren’t seated during rough turbulence. A more serious threat is the presence of inclement weather conditions such as thunderstorms and severe wind shear that can significantly impact the safety of your charter flight.
The best way to avoid these inclement weather and turbulent conditions along your flight is to climb to a safer and higher altitude as quickly as possible. Many airline and private jet pilots take advantage of this fact by climbing to a high altitude just after take off. At higher altitudes, your charter jet can cruise above adverse weather conditions located in the troposphere.
The one downside to high altitude flying is that you have to charter a fairly large aircraft in order to climb to a higher altitude in the stratosphere. Generally speaking, aircraft performance decreases as altitude increases, so light jets and turboprop aircraft simply aren’t capable of operating at extremely high altitudes. Mid-sized and heavy jets like the Gulfstream G550 are the only aircraft truly capable of soaring up to 51,000 feet and staying there.
The good news is that there are private aircraft that are at least capable of climbing to higher altitudes at a much faster rate. The Lear 31 light charter jet, for example, has an impressive climb rate of 5,480 feet per minute. By chartering a Learjet or other fast-climbing private jet, you’ll spend less time bouncing around in turbulence and more time cruising at a smoother altitude.
For your next charter flight, consider chartering a private jet capable of high altitude cruising through Stratos Jet Charters to enjoy the safest and more comfortable flight experience possible. Our agency derived our name from the word “stratosphere” to represent the type of aircraft we typically charter. Stratos Jet air charter consultants have first-hand industry experience to arrange a charter flight on the right aircraft capable of high altitude cruise to meet your specific needs.
Contact Stratos Jets:
1.888.478.7286
info@stratosjets.com
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