Aliäänilento

Aliäänilento is a Finnish term referring to a subsonic flight, meaning an aircraft flying at a speed slower than the speed of sound. This is the typical speed range for most conventional aircraft, including commercial airliners, general aviation planes, and many military aircraft during routine operations. The speed of sound itself varies depending on factors such as temperature and altitude, but it is approximately 1,225 kilometers per hour (761 miles per hour) at sea level under standard conditions.

Aircraft that operate in the aliäänilento regime do not experience significant aerodynamic effects associated with compressibility, such as shock waves. This contrasts with supersonic flight, where aircraft travel faster than the speed of sound and generate sonic booms. The design and operational characteristics of aliäänilento aircraft are optimized for efficiency and stability within this speed range. Most of the world's air traffic operates within the subsonic domain, making aliäänilento the most common mode of air travel. Understanding the distinction between subsonic, transonic, supersonic, and hypersonic flight is fundamental to aerodynamics and aircraft design.