Can Pegasi Survive at Airline Cruising Altitude? i.e ~30,000ft

[Mr. Mustang 647]

I summon the knowledge of the great Brony Fandom! Oh great and powerful fandom, answer me these questions three! Er, help me out here.

 

So, since my trip down to Disneyland California I overheard the pilot say his speal of "We've reached our cruising altitude of 32,000ft..." So it got the gears turning in my brain. Essentially, can a Pegasi or even Alicorn fly and survive at a cruising altitude of 30,000-33,000ft?

 

My biggest concern so is with the air being so thin at that altitude you'd think breathing, let alone flying, would be a bit of a challenge.

 

 I have no doubt Rainbow Dash or even the Wonderbolts can fly at that altitude easily, I'm wondering if the average Pegasi can survive at cruising altitude. On top of that though, that raises a new question, what about other non-pony races that fly? i.e. Dragons and Griffons.

 

 

[Sidral Mundet 1,666]

I doubt any pony could actually survive at that altitude.  While Pegasus might be able to handle higher altitudes better than the other races, i still think they need a large portion of oxygen to breath which is in real short supply up at 30,000+ ft, nevermind that there may not be enough air for them to push off of, or the lack of pressure that high up, (the reason cabins are pressurized)  

[MoltenKitten 342]

Pegasi actually have built in oxygen sacs and their wings are apparently strong enough to make a sonic boom, so yes they can.

[Steel Accord 6,660]

It's never established how high up Cloudsdale goes when it's at it's peak so I don't really know. I would suspect that they can though, if only as an extension of their magic.

[Wind Chaser 4,768]

This is just one thing you'll have to leave up to show logic. It's not really specified exactly how high or how fast any Pegasus goes, other than "really high" or "really fast". Although those can easily be inferred to be in the thousands of feet and in the transonic range respectively, exact numbers were never meant to be known (not to use the "it's a kids' show" excuse, that was just never a focus for the show and was not researched as such), thus each fan or group thereof has a wildly different interpretation using "scientific" data on a show that is only casually scientific at best. Pegasus flight is shown to be a form of magic in "Twilight's Kingdom" so I assume some sort of magical properties aiding oxygen retention might be in play if the ponies themselves don't have enough superhuman qualities to sustain it naturally. Any pony able to fly or walk on clouds might have the ability to breathe in thin air or retain high amounts of oxygen added, it was just never referenced because the show never really had a reason to.

[Ochre_Dust 329]

I can easily imagine that a pegasus can use their own magic to bring a bubble of normal-density air up with them on brief high-altitude flights, and that cloud cities built by the pegasi have a similar persistent effect on them.

 

I like to imagine that ponies are essentially super-powered beings, just like everything else in Equestria seems to be cranked up to 11.

[Miles 2,513]

Undoubtedly, yes.  

And this is scientifically based.

The world's highest flying birds can reach elevation of 37,000 feet.  They, like any other animal, breathe air to live.  
 

The endangered Ruppell's griffon vulture is the highest flying bird ever recorded, and it can ascend to heights of 37,000 feet. That's the average height at which a commercial airplane travels (and a Ruppell's griffon vulture has indeed been sucked into a jet engine at 37,000 feet). It is also the height at which a human would pass out from lack of oxygen. The vulture doesn't face this problem because it has developed a particular type of hemoglobin, making their use of oxygen more effective. A close competitor is the bar-headed goose, a species that migrates over the Himalayan mountains at heights of 18,000-21,120 feet. It's been reported they've even been seen flying over Mount Makalu, the fifth highest mountain on earth at 27,825 feet.

 

http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/photos/9-birds-that-set-records-for-their-amazing-flights/highest-flier

If birds can fly at such a height without breathing issues, then so could Pegasi (and Alicorns).

Could non-winged ponies breathe at that height?

If we were to compare Earth Ponies with Humans, in terms of not having wings... (Or rather, compare Equestria's atmosphere with Earth's)...

According to the above quote, that same height of 37,000 is when humans would pass out from lack of oxygen.  However, according to another article, there is a range of elevation where it becomes possible for altitude sickness to begin.
 

Used to describe high danger altitude on the Mount Everest ascent, the "Death Zone" begins at about 8,000 meters or 26,246 feet. At this elevation, unassisted from compressed air or oxygen, severe altitude sickness sets in, debilitating the human body and eventually resulting in death. The low density of air at this altitude makes acclimation impossible. Cold temperatures and weather conditions at this altitude also affect the high mortality rate of climbers.

 

http://www.livestrong.com/article/458716-what-is-the-max-altitude-at-which-a-person-can-breathe/

If we could combine these articles to make a sort of logical judgement, it could be possible for a human and/or Earth Pony to breathe just enough for a very short amount of time at that elevation so long as they came back down to ground level quickly enough to better air.  So, say if RD or Twilight was carrying a passenger, possibly Pinkie Pie or AJ, it could be possible for them to fly at such an elevation for a small amount of time, maybe 10 or 15 seconds, then right back down to a lower elevation so the air was easier to breathe in (for the Earth Ponies, as, the Pegasi/Alicorns would breathe fine at such height).

It may also depend on whether or not Equestrian skies are equal to Earth's.  If they are supposed to be similar, then it wouldn't be likely for Earth Ponies to be able to breathe at these heights for extended periods of time; only short periods of time.

~ Miles

Edit:

P.S.

Unicorns may be exempt, in the same manner as Pegasi and Alicorns, if they know a spell that enables a breathing bubble.  If they do not, however, know that spell, they would be in the same boat as the Earth Ponies.

Edited July 9, 2015 by Miles

[SilverComet 170]

I summon the knowledge of the great Brony Fandom! Oh great and powerful fandom, answer me these questions three! Er, help me out here.

 

So, since my trip down to Disneyland California I overheard the pilot say his speal of "We've reached our cruising altitude of 32,000ft..." So it got the gears turning in my brain. Essentially, can a Pegasi or even Alicorn fly and survive at a cruising altitude of 30,000-33,000ft?

 

You are assuming the partial pressure of oxigen at that altitude is the same in Equestria than on Earth. 

You are wrong.

 

The size, shape and weight (based on the materials used) of both balloons and zeppelins in the show (not taking account of the weight of ponies and/or cargo) requires the atmosphere to be at least 5 times denser (with a pressure at ground level similar to the coral rifts under the sea).

 

This also explains why RD in "Sonic Rainboom" [s1E16] the supersonic shape of the "phase 3" (and subsequent hipersonic cone when she is about to create the titular move) forms at relative "slow" velocities [based on the visual displacement observed].

 

With an atmosphere with much more atoms per cubic milimeter, a pegasi in Equestria can breath at cruiser plane altitudes as good as a human would in a very high mountain [but probably not for a very long time (like hours) since other problems may arise].

Undoubtedly, yes.  

 

And this is scientifically based.

 

The world's highest flying birds can reach elevation of 37,000 feet.  They, like any other animal, breathe air to live.  

 

 

http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/photos/9-birds-that-set-records-for-their-amazing-flights/highest-flier

 

If birds can fly at such a height without breathing issues, then so could Pegasi (and Alicorns).

 

The problem with that reasoning is assuming the requirements of oxigen for the brain are the same for non-sentient "dumb" birds than for equestrian ponies.

[GuyNamedEarl 1,332]

The regular laws of physics don't apply to ponies (well at least Pinkie Pie), so Pegasi can probably fly wherever they want.

[Miles 2,513]

The problem with that reasoning is assuming the requirements of oxigen for the brain are the same for non-sentient "dumb" birds than for equestrian ponies.

 

 

 

Did you read what I said?

 

If we were to compare Earth Ponies with Humans, in terms of not having wings... (Or rather, compare Equestria's atmosphere with Earth's)...

According to the above quote, that same height of 37,000 is when humans would pass out from lack of oxygen.  However, according to another article, there is a range of elevation where it becomes possible for altitude sickness to begin.

 

---

It may also depend on whether or not Equestrian skies are equal to Earth's.  If they are supposed to be similar, then it wouldn't be likely for Earth Ponies to be able to breathe at these heights for extended periods of time; only short periods of time.

 

So let me make this a little more clear for you...

 

The range of altitude that humans may possibly begin to experience altitude sickness starts around (8,000 meters or) 26,246 feet, and the height at which humans will pass out if they stay for more than a very short period of time is around 37,000 feet.  

 

Furthermore, I - a human - can hold my breathe underwater for just a tad more than 1 minute.  Of course, that is without moving, thus if I were utilizing muscles (moving), you can cut that time in half to about 30 seconds.  And, logically speaking, breathing underwater is totally impossible, but breathing at 37,000 feet is not totally impossible; there is some air, just not much.  

 

So, I stand by exactly what I said in my last post.  And, to make you happy, I will clarify that when I said "short periods of time," that would equate to pretty much no longer than 30 seconds.  

 

Lastly, to top it off, RD can breathe just fine travelling at supersonic speeds.  She flies at least Mach 1, which is the speed at which the sound barrier is broken, or around 761 mph.  If she can breathe whilst performing her sonic rainboom, then she can breathe at high altitudes up to 37,000 feet.  

 

 

Eeyup.

 

~ Miles