Ever since humankind began to master the art of flight, we wanted to hit the aviation records that would send us down in history. At CTI Professional Flight Training, we aim for excellence in all we do, and here we celebrate the designers, engineers and pilots who did the same to achieve the records for the highest altitudes ever flown!
Altitude records for piston-driven propeller airplanes
Things have come a long way since Clément Ader set the record for getting his Éole propeller plane eight inches off the ground in 1890! As the evolution of piston-driven aircraft gathered speed, so did the records, and the highest altitude recorded in a piston-driven propeller biplane (without a payload) was set in 1938 by Mario Pezzi, who flew his Caproni Ca.161 at an altitude of 56,047 ft.
It was nearly sixty years later that the record was set for the highest flight recorded in a piston-driven propeller monoplane however, when a Grob Strato 2C flew to 60,897 ft in 1995.
But the highest of all the piston-driven propeller airplanes was the record set by the Boeing Condor UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) during 1988-1989, when it recorded altitudes of 67,028 ft!
Altitude records for jet aircraft
As technology evolved, the bar to break a world record got ever higher. In 1948, John Cunningham set the first record for a turbojet powered plane when he flew at 59,430 ft in a de Havilland Vampire F.1, modified with extended wingtips and a de Havilland Ghost engine.
At this point in time, it was the highest altitude ever recorded in a plane of any type, but throughout the decades to follow, the records came thick and fast as technology got ever better.
It was in 1977 that the highest current altitude record achieved by a manned air-breathing jet engine propelled aircraft was set, when Alexandr Fedotov flew to a height of 123,520 ft in a Mikoyan Gurevitch E-266M. That’s about three times the normal cruising altitude of a passenger jet!
Altitude records for rocket planes
Once rocket planes came into play, the record-breaking game entered another era. In 1958, Roger Carpentier hit 79,452 ft in a Sud-Ouest Trident II mixed power aircraft, and this record remains the highest altitude ever achieved in a self-launched rocket-powered aircraft.
However, rocket planes launched from another aircraft can scale much larger heights. For years, the unofficial record was held by Joseph A. Walker, who reached 354,199ft in a North American X-15 in 1963.
This record was officially broken though in 2004, when we saw the record for the highest altitude ever set in a plane of any type. Brian Binnie flew the Scaled Composites SpaceShipOne at an incredible 367,487 ft! That’s over 112km above sea level!
Altitude records for electrically powered aircraft
In 2001, the NASA Helios achieved the joint world records of highest altitude attained by an electrically powered aircraft and the highest altitude in horizontal flight by a winged aircraft, when it was flown at 96,863 ft.
When you consider that the highest altitudes flown by corporate jets today is 51,000 ft, and Concorde achieved the highest airliner altitude at 60,000 ft, that’s impressive!
So, from 8 inches off the ground to 367,487 ft in the space of only 114 years… It makes you wonder which other amazing feats we might see in the future!
If all this record-breaking talk has given you the bug to fly, why not find out more about our flight programmes? The next record-breaker could be you!
FAQs
An altitude of 500 feet above the surface, except over open water or sparsely populated areas. In those cases, the aircraft may not be operated closer than 500 feet to any person, vessel, vehicle, or structure.
What is the altitude record for aircraft? ›
Depends on how you define that record. The absolute record for altitude for a ground-launched airplane is Russian pilot Alexandr Fedotov in 1977 when his MiG E-266M reached 123,523 feet. The record for an aircraft-launched airplane was on July 17, 1962. Robert White flew the X-15 to an altitude of 314,688 feet.
What is the altitude record for RC planes? ›
AMA members Paul Kaup, Jake Minker, Eric Gordon, and Nick Ross learned in August that their flight was ratified by Guinness World Records. On October 13, 2019, they used a balloon to help an RVJet Flying Wing reach an altitude of 34,800 feet—breaking the previous record of 29,527 feet.
How hard is altitude training? ›
At higher altitudes, there is lower atmospheric pressure. Here, your body will find it hard to transfer oxygen into your blood, leading the air to feel 'thinner' to breathe and your body to tire more easily. These lower oxygen levels make your body work harder.
What is considered high altitude for training? ›
What is high altitude training? High altitude training is the practice of training at high elevations. In sports, high altitude typically means at least 7,000 to 8,000 feet above sea level. At this elevation, there's less oxygen in the air.
What is the altitude record for Cessna 172? ›
Depending on the model 172, this is between 13,000-15,000 feet ASL. A Cessna 172SP has a published service ceiling of 14,000 feet ASL.
What is the altitude rule for aircraft? ›
An aircraft must maintain an altitude of 1,000 feet above the highest obstacle within a horizontal radius of 2,000 feet of the aircraft over any congested area of a city, town, or settlement, or over any open air assembly of persons.
What is the highest altitude you can fly? ›
Commercial aircraft typically have a maximum operational altitude ranging from 42,000 to 43,000 feet, while smaller private aircraft, including corporate jets, can reach even higher ceilings of up to 51,000 feet.
What is the highest altitude a Cessna can fly? ›
How high can you fly in a Cessna 172? Modern Cessna 172's have a maximum altitude of 13,000ft - 15,000ft. Anything over 10,000ft is known as the transition layer, and pilots should not cruise above this altitude. For long haul flights, it's recommended to cruise at 9,500ft and 4,500ft for short flights.
What altitude do civilian planes fly? ›
Cruising altitude isn't actually a fixed number — there are many factors that go into computing this for every flight. That said, planes generally fly at higher altitudes — usually between 30,000 to 42,000 feet — because the air gets thinner the higher you go.
If you're an FAA-registered recreational RC pilot or your model aircraft doesn't require registration, you can fly in these areas without additional FAA permission. You must keep your aircraft at altitudes below 400 feet.
Which airline has the highest altitude? ›
Question: What is the highest altitude an airplane can fly? Answer: The highest commercial airliner altitude was 60,000 feet by Concorde. The highest military air-breathing engine airplane was the SR-71 — about 90,000 feet. The highest airliner flying today reaches 45,000 feet.
What aircraft can fly at 50,000 feet? ›
Advanced military fighter jets like the F22 Raptor, F35 Lightning or the Eurofighter Typhoon can reach altitudes of between 50,000 – 65,000ft.
What is the altitude record for the MiG? ›
On 31 August 1977, MiG-25RB flown by MiG OKB Chief Test Pilot Alexander V. Fedotov, set the recognized absolute altitude record for a jet aircraft under its own power. He reached 37,650 metres (123,520 ft) at Podmoskovnoye, USSR - in zoom climb.
What is the minimum altitude for flight maneuvers? ›
Ground reference maneuvers are generally flown at altitudes between 600 and 1,000 feet above ground level (AGL). The pilot should consider the following when selecting the maneuvering altitude: ⦁ The lower the maneuvering altitude, the faster the airplane appears to travel in relation to the ground.
What is the minimum altitude for stall training? ›
It is recommended that stalls be practiced at an altitude that allows recovery no lower than 1,500 feet AGL for single-engine airplanes, or higher if recommended by the AFM/POH.
At what altitude do you get training benefits? ›
Elevation training happens in high altitudes -- 7,000-8,000 feet above sea level. When exercising in these altitudes, less oxygen is delivered to your muscles, getting you used to breathing “thinner” air. This improves elite athletes' performance in competitions at lower altitudes.
What is minimum flight plan altitude? ›
10) Minimum Vectoring Altitudes (MVA)
MVAs are established for use by ATC when radar ATC is exercised. The MVA provides 1,000 feet of clearance above the highest obstacle in non-mountainous areas and 2,000 feet above the highest obstacle in designated mountainous areas.
