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Why do aircraft cruise at lower altitudes when heavy with fuel?

cppilot98 · 2015-03-11 16:00:17

There are a combination of factors, without getting too technical the weight might preclude the climb but even if the aircraft was capable of climbing to the higher flight level, once it got there it would require greater thrust in the thinner air in order to maintain the altitude and TAS. This burns more fuel and would…

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11-03-2015 5:00pm

#1

cppilot98

Registered Users Posts: 51 ✭✭

Join Date: March 2015

Posts: 50

There are a combination of factors, without getting too technical the weight might preclude the climb but even if the aircraft was capable of climbing to the higher flight level, once it got there it would require greater thrust in the thinner air in order to maintain the altitude and TAS. This burns more fuel and would reduce the range. Also at higher weights and higher altitudes the margin between stall and overspeed is reduced.

Essentially though the main purpose is to ensure optimum fuel burn while maintaining the best true airspeed. So in theory the best option would be to maintain a continuous gentle climb as the fuel burns off. This isn't practical so step climbs are used.

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