How Fast is a Jet Plane?

Posted By on Apr 25, 2011 |

We measure the speed of the plane as a percentage of the speed of sound. We usually fly at about 85 percent of the speed of sound. Again, this varies a little with the type of airplane, but is generally in the 78-85 percent range).

The speed of sound is called “Mach 1”, which is pronounced as “Mark One”. Twice the speed of sound would be “Mach 2”, and so on. This method of measuring speed is named after an Austrian guy called Ernst Mach who, in 1877, described the effects of supersonic flight (which means going faster than the speed of sound). .

Here is a scene from a movie called “The Right Stuff”, in which a guy called Chuck Yeager goes faster than the speed of sound for the first time in history. This occurred in 1947.

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Author: Turb Coriolis

A Captain with Junior Flyer for many years, Turb has some dietary issues which can tend to offend those sitting next to him. Other than that, he loves aviation and sharing his knowledge with anyone who will listen.

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