[marvin]

Not really. Thunder clouds usually top out around 60.000 feet. There are some wind phenomena that could reach this high, but mostly I think it's calm at this altitude. The air is so thin you would have to have very strong winds for there to be a problem.

[marcosdumay]

That's what makes me wonder... How will they keep a plane flying at that altitude at 68mph? The thinner the air, the faster your plane must move.

(Ok, 250lbs is not that much weight, but you must add the plane's weight. And it does not have huge wings.)

[marvin]

Aerodynamic lift (in Newtons) is proportional to airspeed and invesely proportional to air pressure. So is aerodynamic drag. This holds true up to the transsonic region; ~800 kph of true airspeed. As long as you're subsonic, it's sufficient to have the same amount of thrust as at low altitudes, and you'll keep flying at the speed required for lift >= aircraft weight.

Granted, this will require proportionally higher propeller RPM, but with electric engines this is unproblematic. You'd get in trouble with hydrocarbon engines though, since you need the same amount of oxygen to generate power. So at altitude, you'd need a turbocharger or similar machinery.

[PhasmaFelis]

The hypothetical craft with the 250lb payload has a wingspan almost as wide as a 747's.

[mik4el]

Cool, thx =)