What makes a plane climb or descend?

During flight there are four main forces at play on an aircraft, lift, weight, thrust, and drag. These forces constantly impact the movement and orientation of the aircraft in the air, but are particularly important when an aircraft climbs or descends.

What determines maximum rate of climb?

The higher the thrust, the lower the drag, and the lower the weight, the better the climb performance. RIC; the length of the line from the origin to point 2 is the airplane velocity at maximum RIC and the angle it makes with the horizontal axis is the climb angle for maximum R/C.

How is aircraft climb rate calculated?

Calculation Examples:

1. Temperature Conversion.
2. Crosswind Component.
3. Short Field Takeoff Performance.
4. Load Factor.
5. Stall Speed Banked.
6. True vs Magnetic North Course Conversion.
7. Mach Number.
8. Pressure Altitude.

How do you determine the altitude of an aircraft from the ground?

Absolute altitude refers to the actual distance the aircraft is flying in relation to the ground and is expressed in “feet above ground level.” This type of altitude is generally determined using a radar altimeter, which measures how long it takes radar signals to reach the ground and reflect up to the plane.

What are aircraft performance charts?

Performance charts allow a pilot to predict the takeoff, climb, cruise, and landing performance of an aircraft. These charts, provided by the manufacturer, are included in the AFM/POH. Compute the performance of the aircraft prior to every flight, as every flight is different. …

What force makes an airplane climb?

Forces in a Climb. There are four forces that act on an aircraft in flight: lift, weight, thrust, and drag.

What determines climb performance?

Climb performance is directly dependent upon the ability to produce either excess thrust or excess power. Earlier in the book it was shown that an increase in weight, an increase in altitude, lowering the landing gear, or lowering the flaps all decrease both excess thrust and excess power for all aircraft.

What is aircraft climb rate?

In aeronautics, the rate of climb (RoC) is an aircraft’s vertical speed, that is the positive or negative rate of altitude change with respect to time. The RoC in an aircraft is indicated with a vertical speed indicator (VSI) or instantaneous vertical speed indicator (IVSI).

How do you calculate rate of descent?

If you multiply your descent angle (1 degree) by your miles-per-minute, then add two zeros to the end (x 100), you’ll have your FPM descent rate. So in this example, if you’re flying at 120 knots, you’re traveling 2 miles-per-minute (MPM) (120/60=2).

How is altitude determined?

Altitude can be determined based on the measurement of atmospheric pressure. The greater the altitude, the lower the pressure. When a barometer is supplied with a nonlinear calibration so as to indicate altitude, the instrument is called a pressure altimeter or barometric altimeter.

How does the speed of an aircraft depend on its power?

This is determined by the amount of excess power available over power required to overcome drag at that speed. During climb ing to a higher altitude the power required will go up and the power available will go down (both due to air density). [>>>] The speed (usually measured in feet per minute) at which an aircraft is climbing.

What is the correct descent rate for a jet?

So when the descent begins, say from a Mach 0.78 (250kias/450ktas) cruise, descent rate should be around 2500fpm. This rate of descent should be maintained until transition from Mach to IAS happens. At that point the lower the aircraft goes, the slower the TAS will be, as a consequence, the descent rate will slow down proportionately.

How does altitude affect the descent rate of an aircraft?

At that point the lower the aircraft goes, the slower the TAS will be, as a consequence, the descent rate will slow down proportionately. At the same time, idle thrust at high altitude is quite low. The lower the aircraft goes, the higher idle thrust will be, further moderating descent rate.

How many feet per minute can an airplane climb?

It depends allot on the aircraft you fly. For instance, the aircraft that I fly, the ATR 42 and ATR 72, are real dogs in the climb. Usually 1500 feet per minute is the max we can sustain, and 1000 feet per minute (or even less if we are very heavy) is more common.