Can Planes Game at 50,000 Feet?
You betcha they can! Certain cutting-edge aircraft are cleared to cruise well into the stratosphere, passing 50k without breaking a sweat. But most airliners still stick to lower altitudes for better MPG. Let‘s level up on extreme altitude flight!
Unlocking Hidden Height Feats
Today‘s most souped-up bizjets blast past arbitrary altitude "ceilings" set for commercial rides. Take the Gulfstream G650ER – with a 51k service ceiling, it glides effortlessly into the aeronautical elite. The now grounded Concorde used to streak across oceans at 60k too!
But most airliners still meander under 45k feet, despite beefy specs. See, the thinner air creates less lift and drag on wings, changing delicate balances needed for peak efficiency and handling. Pilots aren‘t wasting their airplanes‘ potential though – they‘re min-maxing!
Surviving the Deadly Deep Freeze
At 50,000 feet, standard atmo is long gone. We‘re talking Crimson Skies meets Snowpiercer conditions up here! Temperatures plunge below -70°F (-56°C), with next to zero humidity. Hypothermia would quickly KO exposed passengers or crew.
Fun fact: even in the summer above 65° north or south latitude, it never gets hotter than 32° at such heights! Brrr! Special precautions are essential to prevent ice formation on control surfaces too. Time to break out the parkas and hot cocoa.
Cosmic Radiation Corrupts Blood Cells
Thundering around at 50k-plus altitude exposes everyone on board to increased cosmic background and solar radiation dosages. Research confirms aircrews working these figurative space shuttles face higher cancer risks from the ionizing radiation bombardment.
Plus, new studies show pilots‘ cognitive functions temporarily degrade post long-haul flights above the poles. It‘s akin to the looping launch countdown sound when hungover (relatable, right)? Not ideal when angling a million-dollar aircraft earthwards!
Rarified Air Drains Engine Power
Jet engines gulp vast volumes of air to feed their interal combustion and generate thrust. But with only thin wisps available at altitude, such motors quickly run out of O2 and begin suffocating! Performance drops exponentially above 45k feet for most.
That‘s why the legendary SR-71 Blackbird‘s engines had a special "bleed bypass" to route massive airflow directly behind the turbines. Combined with ingenious metallurgy tolerating insane heat, this enabled sustained flights exceeding 85,000 feet! Talk about a hack for the history books!
No matter how you spec it, routinely breaching the legended 50k threshold remains a heroic endeavor. Currently, only costly bizjets pampering a privileged few wealthy players or demilitarized spy planes lingering as endgame solo content can access such dizzying heights.
One day, as efficiency improves and technology trickles down, $GAMR mainliner aircraft may also share the rarified skies. Until then, I‘ll continue floating comfortably under 40k feet, dreaming of the gorgeous edge-of-space views and potential for gaming the stratosphere!
