If you’ve ever watched a plane flying overhead, you know they are incredibly high in the air. Sometimes it seems like they just fly above the top of the clouds and are invisible from below.
When you’re on a plane, your pilot will tell you that they’ve reached their cruising altitude of 35,000 feet. This is one of the highest altitudes a commercial aircraft can go on a flight, and it’s very important for passenger safety as well as the smoothness of the trip.
The Earth’s atmosphere has five distinct layers that vary in their characteristics. The lowest is the troposphere, which extends from sea level up to about 11 miles above ground.
It’s in this layer that most meteorological events occur, including thunderstorms. It also has a lower air pressure than the stratosphere, and it’s more humid, too.
Another layer of the Earth’s atmosphere is the stratosphere, which extends up to 50 miles above the surface. This is the layer that most jet airplanes will climb to, and it’s considered the safest and most efficient to fly in.
This layer of the air is a stable and thick region, which makes it perfect for airplanes. In addition, it’s a place where air resistance is lower than on the ground, which means more fuel efficiency and less drag. The layer is also a good place to avoid bad weather, turbulence, and other meteorological phenomena.
