Mach To Knots: Why Do We Fly Mach Number At High Altitudes?

Mach to Knots: What is the difference between the Mach Number and the Airspeed.

By the end of this video, you will know what mach number (MN) is, what's the difference between MN and Airspeed and why we fly mach number and not Airspeed at high altitudes.

The mach number is a true airspeed indication given as a percentage of the local speed of sound.

According to the standard atmosphere at the mean sea level, the speed of sound is 661kt.
If you are flying with a True Airspeed of 661kt you will be flying at Mach 1.0 and, if you fly at 330kt your mach number will be 0.5.

In order to calculate the MN you have to divide the True Airspeed by the Local Speed of Sound (LSS).

The LSS is not constant and varies with the temperature, the lower the temperature the lower the Local Speed of Sound.

So, at the mean sea level, the LSS will be higher than the Speed of Sound at high altitudes since the temperature is lower.

During the initial part of the climb, the Jet Airliners fly airspeeds and than when reaching high altitudes they change and fly Mach number.

This is so because if you fly at constant Airspeed you will overshoot Mach 1 at high altitude thus going into supersonic speeds range creating the shock wave and all the problems associated with that.

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Disclaimer:
THIS VIDEO IS FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY.
NOT FOR REAL-LIFE OPERATIONS.
PLEASE REFER TO THE OFFICIAL MANUAL AND DOCUMENTATION.
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