Final answer:
In normal flight operations with all systems functioning, aircraft are expected to comply with safety regulations, maintaining specific distances from other aircraft and managing fuel efficiency. These protocols include horizontal and vertical separation standards enforced by air traffic control, and measures taken to combat air resistance.
Step-by-step explanation:
When all aircraft systems are operating normally during flight, one can expect that the aircraft will adhere to strict regulation and control protocols to maintain safety and efficiency. For instance, commercial airliners must keep a precise separation from each other, enforced by regulations set by the Federal Aviation Administration. This includes maintaining a distance of five miles from another plane flying at the same altitude, and a vertical separation of 2,000 feet between aircraft flying at different altitudes (or 1,000 feet if below 29,000 feet altitude). These measures are in place to ensure that air traffic is managed in a way that minimizes the risk of collisions and maintains the orderly flow of planes in the sky.Moreover, the design of aircraft and their operating procedures are optimized to combat factors like air resistance, requiring significant amounts of energy that are generally unaffected by passenger load. As such, the fuel efficiency of flights is often evaluated on a per-passenger basis to provide a more accurate measure of environmental and economic impact.