All Aircraft Types - Free Tool

Performance Calculator

Select aircraft type, choose Takeoff or Landing, enter conditions. Forecasts roll distance from first principles - no manual lookup required. Supports inHg and hPa.

01Select Aircraft Type
Start Here
Type an identifier or tap Nearby to fill conditions from the latest official observation. U.S. stations (NWS).
02Units
Temperature
Pressure
Weight
Airspeed
03Atmospheric Conditions
°F
Standard sea level = 59°F / 15°C
ft MSL
Elevation of airfield or FARP
inHg
From ATIS/ASOS. Std = 29.92 inHg / 1013.25 hPa
Relative Humidity 0% RH
0%
100%
High humidity reduces air density. At 95°F / 100% RH near sea level, humidity adds roughly 700-800 ft to DA beyond the dry-air figure.
04Wind
Fetch weather above to list this airport's runways.
Or type a runway (magnetic — approximate):
RWY
Fetch weather and enter a runway to compute head/tail and crosswind.
kts
Reduces roll ~9% per 10 kts
kts
Increases roll ~21% per 10 kts
05Aircraft Weight
lbs
Total: airframe + fuel + crew + payload
lbs
From flight manual / POH / -10 TM
06Takeoff Performance Specs
BHP
Sea-level rated power. C172 = 160 BHP, King Air 350 = 2x1,050 SHP
% N1
From takeoff data card. Full rated thrust or reduced thrust climb setting. Same field whether full power or reduced power.
kts
Engine failure recognition speed. From takeoff data card for this runway and weight.
kts
Minimum climb speed after engine failure. Maintain until acceleration altitude.
kts
Speed at which you rotate for liftoff. From POH / TO data card.
ft
IGE hover ceiling from flight manual at standard day conditions
kts
Your cruise indicated airspeed. Used only to show your true airspeed at this density altitude.
kts
Your cruise indicated airspeed. Used only to show your true airspeed - not related to takeoff planning.
07Landing Performance Specs
lbs
Your actual weight at touchdown. Usually less than takeoff gross after fuel burn.
lbs
From flight manual. May differ from max takeoff gross weight.
kts
From flight manual at actual landing weight and flap setting. Minimum approach speed - do not fly below this.
kts
Half this value is added to Vref as the steady-wind additive.
kts
Full gust factor added to Vref. Wind 15G25 = 10 kt gust factor.
kts
Auto-set to Vref + 5 kts minimum. Increases with wind: +half steady + full gust. Cap +20 kts. Override manually anytime.
Runway condition multiplier applied to landing roll forecast.
Target Speed (Vtgt)
Vref 65 kts + wind additive 0 kts = Target 65 kts. Target defaults to Vref +5 kts minimum. Adjust for winds: add half the steady headwind plus the full gust factor. The landing roll forecast uses target speed - a higher target means more kinetic energy at touchdown.
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Power Setting Rule
~3% power loss per 1,000 ft DA. At 5,000 ft DA ~ 85% available power.
Takeoff Rule
~10% longer roll per 1,000 ft DA. At 6,000 ft DA ~ 60% more runway needed.
Climb Rule
~6-7% climb rate reduction per 1,000 ft DA.
Landing Rule
For jets: fly Target Speed (Vtgt = Vref + half steady wind + full gust). Landing roll uses Vtgt, not bare Vref. Higher target = more energy at touchdown = longer roll. Wet runway roughly doubles distance.
IAS vs TAS
TAS ~ IAS + 2% per 1,000 ft DA. At 8,000 ft DA your true groundspeed (no wind) is ~16% faster than indicated.
Humidity
High humidity reduces air density. At 95°F / 100% RH near sea level, humidity adds roughly 700-800 ft to DA beyond the dry-air figure.

Educational and pre-flight awareness only. Always verify with your official flight manual, POH, -10 TM, Dash-1, or RFM. Full disclaimer →

Takeoff & Landing Performance vs Density Altitude

Piston GA & Turboprop

Piston engines lose ~3% BHP per 1,000 ft DA - directly reducing available thrust and extending takeoff roll. Turboprops use torque setting (% TQ) and are flat-rated to a DA threshold; above it, shaft horsepower drops. Landing roll increases too - TAS at Vref is higher at altitude even if the IAS reads the same, meaning more kinetic energy to dissipate.

Jet & Military Aircraft

Jets use N1 % (fan speed) or EPR as their power setting - not horsepower. High DA reduces the thrust produced at a given N1 setting because the engine is moving less air mass per second. Takeoff power is set by N1 or EPR from the aircraft's TO data card. Derated takeoffs further reduce available thrust. Landing distance increases with DA due to higher TAS at approach speed.

Helicopter & Rotary Wing

Helicopters are the most DA-sensitive aircraft. Both power available (EPA) and rotor thrust decrease at high DA. The IGE hover ceiling drops ~800 ft per 1,000 ft DA. For autorotation landings, high DA increases rotor inertia requirements and extends the time-critical decision window. Military helos use -10 TM HIGE/HOGE charts for all performance planning.

Landing Roll & Runway Condition

For civil jets, the approach speed is not simply Vref but a Target Speed (Vtgt) - Vref plus a wind additive of half the steady headwind plus the full gust factor. Operators typically require a minimum additive of 5 kts and cap it at +20 kts. At high DA, TAS at the target speed is higher than at sea level even with identical IAS, meaning more kinetic energy at touchdown and a longer roll. This calculator computes landing distance using the full target speed, not bare Vref.

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Density Alt
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