We admire how fast a regular passenger plane can reach and how quickly it can get us from one part of the world to another. Few people know, but the speed of passenger airliners usually does not exceed 900 km / h. Almost any jet fighter will be able to overtake such a vessel, developing a speed of about three times as much.

But there are aircraft whose speed exceeds this indicator - hypersonic aircraft. Hypersonic devices are devices that are capable of reaching speeds several times higher than the speed of sound in flight.

A specific indicator that would allow aircraft to be classified as hypersonic has not yet been determined by researchers.

Another criterion that causes constant controversy is the way the device is controlled. Some researchers are of the opinion that only those ships can be called aircraft, managed by a person. According to another point of view, drones can also be classified as aircraft. Such a division can be considered quite justified, since unmanned vehicles have more advanced technical specifications. Also, the subject of dispute is the ability of the aircraft to take off independently or using other powerful carriers.

Be that as it may, most researchers are of the unanimous opinion, according to which the determining factor in classifying a particular model as a hypersonic model is the maximum speed of the aircraft that it can develop while in the air. This approach allows several times to expand the list of hypersonic aircraft models, which are being developed by engineers from all over the world. Of course, many are interested in what is the fastest aircraft in the world that is already cutting through the sky, and what characteristics it has.

Celestial Speed Rating

To answer this interesting question, let's make a rating: "The fastest planes in the world Top 10". In it, we will celebrate those models of air transport that rightfully deserve to go down in history due to their characteristics.

10th place: Tupolev Tu-144

Photograph of Tupolev Tu-144 aircraft

The speed performance of the Tu-144 would not allow it to enter the top 10 fastest aircraft. However, it would be wrong not to mention him in this rating. Tupolev took an honorable tenth place, as it is the first supersonic passenger airliner in the world. Its first flight was dated back to 1968. This event was literally a gift for the field of aviation development, as the flight took place on December 31, just on the eve of the New Year celebration. But the most significant event in the history of the Tu-144 took place on June 5, 1969, when he managed to overcome the sound barrier, being at an altitude of 11 km. Tupolev Tu-144 is the fastest passenger aircraft in the world, accelerating up to 2,500 km/h.

9th place: General Dynamics F-111

In ninth place is a tactical bomber, accelerating to a speed of 3060 km / h. Unfortunately, the model was decommissioned in the late 90s. At one time, the device became the first aircraft that could change the sweep of the wing, which gave it a significant advantage in the air.

8th Place: McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle

8th position is given to the American all-weather fighter, which is one of the most successful aircraft. Now this model is still an important part of the US Air Force and will not leave service until at least 2025. In addition, the American command plans to produce these devices for about three more years. The vessel can gain speed equal to 3065 km/h.

7th place: MiG-31

Domestic sky guard MiG-31

The seventh line was occupied by a domestic aircraft capable of accelerating to 3463.92 km / h. The device boasts the presence of two powerful engines, allowing it to develop supersonic speeds at both high and low altitudes. Unfortunately, the production of this combat vessel was stopped in the first half of the 90s.

6th place: XB-70 Valkyrie

Sixth place went to the strategic bomber, whose main task in the days of " cold war” would be the delivery of nuclear weapons. It was assumed that the speed equal to 3672 km / h would be needed by the device in order to elude Soviet interceptors, but, more importantly, still not fall under the consequences of a nuclear explosion. Only two aircraft of this model were created.

5th place: Bell X-2 Starbuster

The next place goes to an experimental aircraft, the main purpose of which is to study the conditions of flight on high speeds. According to preliminary data, the aircraft could reach a speed of 3911.9 km / h. The first flight of the device took place in 1954, but two years later this program had to be stopped. The fact is that after the plane has reached its maximum speed, the pilot will no longer be able to control it.

4th place: MiG-25

The MiG-25 aircraft was built especially for organizing interceptions of American reconnaissance aircraft, which took an honorable fourth place. The device has unique features:

develops a speed of 3916.8 km / h;
strikes targets at an altitude of up to 25 km.

The aircraft proved to be excellent in some conflicts and is still in the ranks of the armed forces of some countries. In total, 1100 aircraft of this type were created.

3rd place: Lockheed YF-12

In 3rd place was the device, which was developed as a prototype of an aircraft capable of reaching a speed equal to 3.35 the speed of sound. This aircraft model received several honorary titles, which later moved, roughly speaking, to Lockheed's "brother" - to the SR-71 Blackbird model. Both devices were designed by designer Clarence "Kelly" Johnson. The maximum speed that the YF-12 could develop was 4100.4 km / h.

2nd place: SR-71 Blackbird

"Blackbird", and this is how the name of this model can be translated into Russian, was used by the US Air Force and NASA. Moreover, the first plane was needed to carry out strategic reconnaissance missions, and the second - for research purposes. A total of 32 ships were built, since the creation of the apparatus was associated with an important problem: high temperature apparatus, to which he warmed up in flight. In addition, this model requires special fuel to operate, and refueling can only be done in flight. Thrush speed - 4102.8 km / h.

1st Place: North American X-15

The fastest manned hypersonic aircraft

The speed of the fastest manned aircraft is 8200.8 km/h. The model was developed specifically for research related to hypersonic flight, in which the vessel is controlled by a pilot. The aircraft is equipped with a rocket engine and launches from a strategic bomber. It is noteworthy that the ship can rise to a height of 107 km. Actively used until 1970.

Unmanned Rivals

The jet-powered Boeing X-43 is now the fastest unmanned aircraft in the world. The first flight of the device was unsuccessful, as the plane crashed after only 11 seconds in the air. But already the third flight of the X-43A was crowned with the setting of a new world speed record - 11,230 km / h.

Orbital Sciences Corporation X-34 could get the title of the fastest aircraft, but this is prevented by one "but". In theory, the ship can accelerate to 12,144 km/h. However, during the experimental flights, he could not catch up with his main rival and gained speed less than 11,230 km / h.

Dangerous competition

Chinese WU-14 hypersonic developments deserve special consideration. In essence, the WU-14 is a guided glider mounted on an intercontinental ballistic missile. The rocket complex launches the device into space, from where it dives down sharply, while gaining incredible speed. During testing, this device was able to develop a speed that exceeded the mark of 12,000 km / h. But many researchers are of the opinion that this development does not belong to the class of aircraft, but to be classified as a warhead.

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In early February, a Qatar Airways aircraft on the world's longest commercial flight from Doha (Qatar) to Auckland (New Zealand). Especially for readers, experts from the travel service OneTwoTrip revealed the details of the flight and talked about the longest existing air routes.

Doha - Auckland, 14.5 thousand kilometers

Who performs: Qatar Airways
Flight number: QR 920, launched February 2017
Flight time: 16 hours 23 minutes (return flight - more than 18 hours)
Aircraft: Boeing 777

The last launched "longest flight" takes passengers almost 16 and a half hours. During this time, the liner flies 14,535 kilometers.

The Boeing 777 has 217 economy class seats and 42 business class seats. Departure from Doha airport at 5:10 local time.

The crew consists of 4 pilots and 15 flight attendants. During the flight, passengers drink more than a thousand servings of tea and coffee, two thousand servings of soft drinks and eat a thousand servings of in-flight meals.

Due to the headwind, the return flight lasts almost two hours longer: passengers spend more than 18 hours in the air.

Dubai - Auckland, 14.2 thousand kilometers

Who flies: Flight number: EK 449, launched March 2016
Flight time: 17 hours 25 minutes
Aircraft: Airbus A380

More than 17 hours of flight is not an easy test for passengers, but such a flight saves an average of three hours of travel time. In addition, passengers fly in comfort: the Airbus A380 is designed specifically for ultra-long flights.

From Dubai to Auckland, the flight starts at 10:05 am and arrives in Auckland at 11:00 local time the next day. If you want to get to Auckland from Moscow, flight EK 448 has a convenient connection in Dubai lasting three to four hours, so the whole journey to New Zealand will take an average of 25 hours. True, pleasure is not cheap: in February 2017, a ticket for a Moscow-Auckland flight with a transfer in Dubai costs a little less than 100 thousand rubles. The minimum price for the same route is 71 thousand rubles, but you will have to spend seven hours more on the way.

Dallas - Sydney, 13.8 thousand kilometers

Who performs: Qantas
Flight number: QF 8, launched September 2014
Flight time: 16 hours 55 minutes (16 hours 50 minutes on winter schedule)
Aircraft: Airbus A380-800

This is the only non-stop flight between Australia and the US East Coast. Planes fly six times a week: every day except Tuesday. There are four classes of seats on board: 14 private cabins in first class, 64 seats in business class, 35 seats in premium economy class and 371 seats in economy class.

The first A380 to fly this flight featured a special livery: a kangaroo (the airline's traditional symbol) on the tail of the aircraft was depicted wearing a cowboy hat and a star-striped bandanna around its neck. Today, this aircraft, unfortunately, has been replaced by an airliner in the standard Qantas livery.

San Francisco - Singapore, 13.6 thousand kilometers

Who operates: United Airlines, Singapore Airlines
Flight Number: UA I, launched June 2016 / SQ 31, launched October 2016
Flight time: 16 hours 30 minutes (17 hours 15 minutes on the winter schedule)
Aircraft: Boeing 787-9 / Airbus A350-900

Passengers flying from San Francisco to Singapore participate in interesting game over time due to time zones. On the way from the US to Asia, they lose almost two days unnoticed: they depart at 22:55 from the US, and land at Changi Airport at 6:15 in the morning local time, but two hours later. But the return journey by flight UA II takes only 30 minutes by the hour: departure from Singapore at 8:45 and landing in the States at 9:15 (and, of course, 16 hours in flight).

Photo: Stephen Brashear/Getty Images

Johannesburg - Atlanta, 13.6 thousand kilometers

Who flies: Flight number: DL 201, launched June 2009
Flight time: 16 hours 50 minutes (16 hours 55 minutes on winter schedule)
Aircraft: Boeing 777-200LR

The flight from Johannesburg to Atlanta is operated by four pilots and two separate teams of flight attendants who rotate through the flight. For 17 hours of flight, the aircraft needs more than 150,000 liters of fuel.

The airline published interesting statistics of this flight: during the year of flights, passengers of this flight drink about 70 thousand cans of soda, eat 100 thousand packs of crackers, 200 thousand bags of peanuts, more than 225 thousand kilograms of ice are used for drinks.

Abu Dhabi - Los Angeles, 13.5 thousand kilometers

Who operates: Etihad Airways
Flight number: EY 171, launched June 2014
Flight time: 16 hours 30 minutes
Aircraft: Boeing 777-200LR

At first, an Airbus A340-500 flew from the city of angels to the capital of the UAE, which accommodated 240 passengers (12 in first class, 28 in business and 200 in economy), but already in July 2014, Etihad replaced it with a Boeing 777-200LR. Now there are fewer seats in the economy class - only 189, but the business class cabin has grown to 40 seats.

Non-stop flights are often considered more convenient by passengers - such journeys take less time, do not cause as many problems and are not as tiring: just board the plane at the airport of departure, and after a few hours of restful sleep, reading books or watching movies, you will get off the plane in destination. Flying non-stop means traveling in comfort, and air carriers are ready to satisfy this desire of passengers even on the most distant routes. Below is a list of the longest flights in aviation history, as well as the longest non-stop flights currently operated by airlines.

Which flight will be considered extra long-haul

during which no stops were made at intermediate points;
at which the overcome distance exceeds 12 thousand kilometers;
whose duration is not less than 15 hours.

This is usually the shortest possible route between two points in different parts of the world. The longest flights of all time are considered to be flights on transcontinental routes between Southeast Asia and North America. Now they are not performed so often without transfers, but the record duration and distance traveled were recorded.

The longest commercial flight ever operated by an airline is a flight between New York and Singapore operated by Singapore Airlines on an Airbus A340-500. The length of the route was more than 15.3 thousand kilometers, the duration of the flight was almost 19 hours. Moreover, this is the shortest flight in this direction: the flight in the opposite direction, from Singapore to New York, lasted even longer - it took a different, transpolar route, and the distance covered was almost 1,300 km longer. Non-stop flights on the New York-Singapore route were discontinued in the fall of 2013, as they were not very profitable for the carrier due to fuel costs, but so far this regular route is considered the longest and longest of all time.

How long can a plane fly without refueling

If we talk about records, we can find even more impressive figures: in fact, the longest flight by plane in history was made 12 years ago. Then, in December 2005, on a Boeing 777-200LR, a team of 8 pilots flew between Hong Kong and London, covering a distance of 21,602 km. This flight did not take place along a standard route, the length of which is less than 10,000 km, but along another route that took 22 hours and 40 minutes. But the flight was not commercial - in the cabin, instead of 301 passengers, for how many the liner was designed, there were only 27 people: mostly journalists, aviation technology specialists and representatives of the Boeing corporation.

And although today there are no flights on these “record-breaking routes”, some world airlines offer their passengers very long non-stop flights, there are quite a lot of ultra-long distances.

Currently, the longest non-stop scheduled flight is between Qatar and New Zealand operated by Qatar Airways. The length of the route "Doha - Auckland" is more than 14.5 thousand kilometers, flights are carried out on the Boeing 777-200LR - an aircraft of the same model that was used for the record flight "Hong Kong - London". Passengers flying on this flight are in the air for almost 18 hours.

The second route in this ranking is also from the Persian Gulf to New Zealand. The Dubai-Auckland flight, operated by Emirates, is scheduled to take 17 hours and 15 minutes. During this time, the Airbus A380-800 covers a distance of 14.2 thousand kilometers. It is worth noting that Emirates is one of the world's largest airlines and is the leader in terms of the number of ultra-long distance routes served. From Dubai, non-stop flights are also operated to Los Angeles (13.4 thousand km, more than 16.5 hours in the air), Houston (13.14 thousand km, duration - 16 hours 20 minutes), San Francisco (13,041 km, duration - 16 hours) and to several other remote points.

Third place (and also third in the number of ultra-long distance routes) is occupied by the Australian "flying kangaroo" airline Qantas. Its route "Sydney - Dallas", with a length of 13.8 thousand kilometers, is one of the longest among those currently used. The scheduled travel time is 15 hours 35 minutes, the flight is operated by Airbus A380-800. Qantas also operates ultra-long non-stop flights between Los Angeles and Melbourne, Los Angeles and Sydney (12.75 thousand km and 12.05 thousand km, respectively).

Singapore Airlines, following the cancellation of the non-stop New York-Singapore flight, operates such long flights only to San Francisco. The flight takes 16.5 hours, the length of the route is about 13.6 thousand km.

The fifth longest flight currently operated is a Delta Air Lines flight between Johannesburg (South Africa) and Atlanta (USA). According to the schedule, the flight lasts 16 hours and 15 minutes, the length of the route is almost 13.6 thousand kilometers. Delta Air Lines also operates several more ultra-long routes - the air carrier can be considered the second largest in terms of the number of such destinations. On the aircraft of this airline (ultra-long routes are operated on Boeing 777-200LR liners), flights are made between Detroit and Hong Kong (12.6 thousand km), Dubai and Atlanta (12.2 thousand km), Los Angeles and Sydney (12.05 thousand km). km). The duration of such flights is from 15 hours to 15 hours 45 minutes.

Also, ultra-long non-stop flights are operated by Continental Airlines, EVA Air, United Airlines, V Australia and several others. The most common names on ultra-long distance routes are cities in the USA (Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco), Australia (Sydney, Melburg), New Zealand (Auckland), China (Hong Kong), Canada (Toronto), Thailand (Bangkok). ) and the countries of the Persian Gulf (Doha, Dubai).

There are no such flights to the cities of European countries, but rather long flights from here are still carried out.

For example, the longest flights operated from France are flights by Air France (and several foreign ones) on the route "Paris - Santiago de Chile". The flight lasts more than 15 hours, the length of the route is almost 11.5 thousand km. By the way, it is the French who hold the record among flights across the country: the way from Paris to Reunion by plane is the longest domestic route in the world, about 9.8 thousand km (at the moment, flights are operated only with transfers).

Route Paris - Santiago

Alitalia operates flights from Rome to Buenos Aires. The flight on the Boeing 777-200ER lasts 14 hours, during which time the aircraft covers a distance of more than 11,000 km.

Lufthansa also operates non-stop flights to Buenos Aires. The flight from the German city of Frankfurt am Main to the capital of Argentina, lasting 13 hours and 45 minutes, is the longest for this air carrier.

Of the Russian carriers, the longest non-stop flight is made by Aeroflot. The flight from Moscow to Los Angeles takes almost 13 hours (12 hours 50 minutes) according to the schedule. The length of the route is 9.7 thousand km, the flight is carried out on an Airbus A330-200 aircraft.

It is likely that in the future the number of such flights and ultra-long routes will increase: among the possible destinations there are very profitable ones, for example, the option with non-stop flights between London and Sydney. So far, however, no airlines are looking to add routes longer than the flagship New York-Singapore flight to their destination maps. The best airliner for such long-haul flights is the Boeing 777-200LR, which is capable of covering a distance of 20 thousand kilometers or more, but only without a payload (passengers and cargo), which makes such flights useless for commercial airlines. After the Airbus A350-900R XWB was put into operation, new routes appeared, but still the farthest of them, Doha-Auckland, is almost 800 km less than the maximum recorded.

Video

On October 31, the world's shortest flight carried its millionth passenger. This news excited many media, and we decided to make a mini-review of the shortest flights in the world.

Westray — Papa Westray. Distance - 2.7 km. Travel time - up to 47 seconds. This is the shortest flight in the world. A flight between the islands of Scotland, in which you can watch takeoff, all the way and landing from one place! Anne Randall, a bank employee who has made more than 10 thousand flights in her life, became the millionth passenger! The flight is operated by Loganair on an 8-seat Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander aircraft.
St. Gallen Altenrhein(Switzerland) - Friedrichshafen(Germany). This is the shortest international route, distance - 20 km, travel time - 20 minutes. These two cities are on opposite sides of Lake Constance. The first flight was made today — November 2, 2016. The schedule includes 2 flights a day, the ticket price is 20 Euro one way. The flight is operated by People's Viennaline on an Embraer ERJ-145 aircraft with a capacity of 55 passengers. This flight is only part of the flight St. Gallen - Friedrichshafen - Cologne. The airline expects that about 10% of passengers will fly on a short leg, the rest will continue their flight to Cologne.
There are many short flights around the world that connect remote villages, but they are little known because. performed in remote locations. These flights are usually not listed in global booking systems. One of them is between the villages Kegata and Apovo in West Papua (Indonesia) - flight up to 73 seconds. Flights are operated by Pilatus PC-6 Turbo Porter.