A passenger managed to captured the jaw-dropping real-time speed of a plane take off.
It’s easy to forget how fast planes actually travel, especially when you’ve kicked back and have endless snacks at your fingertips 30,000ft up in the air.
A more anxious flier might be ultra-aware of how fast planes travel, but one passenger has cleared up any speculation.
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An anonymous user on Reddit decided to measure at take-off how fast the plane travels into the air, and people in the comments were blown away.
According to Flying magazine, however, there isn’t an exact speed for take-off, as it varies with each aircraft.
They say: “Key factors that affect airplane takeoff speed (sometimes referred to as its rotation speed) include: direction of airflow, the airplane’s shape (especially its wings), the airplane’s size, and its weight.
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“Infinite combinations of aerodynamic and environmental factors can impact the required speed for any airplane to take off.”
One of the most frequent passenger aircrafts is the Boeing 747-400 model.
Flying reported that the takeoff speed for this airplane is around 160 knots. However, the Reddit user's video recorded this to be a lot quicker.
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According to Flying: “Weight is one of the most critical factors on any aircraft. The heavier an aircraft is, the more lift is required for it to get airborne.
“Airplanes designed to fly heavy payloads often have wings designed for high-lift, along with powerful engines that can achieve rotation or takeoff speeds sufficient to generate enough airflow across the wings.”
We cannot be sure what aircraft the Reddit user was flying on, but it seemed to be traveling at supersonic speed as an app on their phone recorded the maximum speed to be 373km/h.
One person in the comments joked that take-off was their favorite part of flying.
They said: “That part of take off, where you get flung back into your seat has always been my favorite part of a flight. Followed closely by when you can start ordering booze.”
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We can’t say we disagree!
However, one user pointed out a potential flaw in the speed-measuring app, and said: “I think that number is inaccurate.
“350 kmh (when it started lifting off) is 190 knots. The A380, the largest aircraft, only needs 160 knots.
“The app likely shows a much faster speed than the aircraft is actually going.”
Topics: Travel
Mia Williams