Weighing High-altitude Capabilities in Purchase Decisions
A review of high-altitude-certifed aircraft finds that most do not use the capability, but it can be helpful in certain circumstances.

Since the Wright Brothers invented the aircraft, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) have tried to build aircraft that fly higher, faster, and further than all other competitors.

In warfare, an aircraft with a higher max altitude could be a huge advantage in that it could attack from above or climb to escape. In the same fashion, as a bird of prey taking out its target from above, the German Messerschmitt Me262 jet could climb faster and higher than Allied piston-powered fighters.

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