AIRCRAFT PERFORMANCE

CHARTS …(Theoretical)
Part 1

Presented by:
Revor E. Velasquez
INTRODUCTION
 Today’s Mission Requirements
Mission:

• Describe the factors that affect aircraft performance.

• Identify how aircraft weight, atmospheric conditions,

runway environment, and the fundamental physical
laws governing the forces can affect aircraft
performance.
 Warm-Up!
Utilizing your notes and past knowledge answer the
following questions:

1) Describe the effect of a tailwind and headwind on an

aircraft during takeoff.
2) What is the concern of an aircraft taking off below
the recommended speed?
3) What is the concern regarding gross weight and
landing?
4) Describe the benefits and concerns with excessive
speed at landing.
5) Describe the most critical conditions of landing
performance.
 Warm-Up!
Utilizing your notes and past knowledge answer the
following questions:

1) Describe the effect of a tailwind and headwind on an

aircraft during takeoff.
2) What is the concern of an aircraft taking off below
the recommended speed?
3) What is the concern regarding gross weight and
landing?
4) Describe the benefits and concerns with excessive
speed at landing.
5) Describe the most critical conditions of landing
performance?
 Takeoff Performance
• The effect of wind on
takeoff distance is large.

• The effect of a headwind

is to allow the aircraft to
reach the lift-off speed at
a lower groundspeed
while the effect of a
tailwind is to require the
aircraft to achieve a
greater groundspeed to
attain the lift-off speed.
 Warm-Up!
Utilizing your notes and past knowledge answer the
following questions:

1) Describe the effect of a tailwind and headwind on an

aircraft during takeoff?
2) What is the concern of an aircraft taking off below
the recommended speed?
3) What is the concern regarding gross weight and
landing?
4) Describe the benefits and concerns with excessive
speed at landing.
5) Describe the most critical conditions of landing
performance?
 Takeoff Performance

• Any attempt to take off

below the recommended
speed means that the
aircraft could stall, be
difficult to control, or have
a very low initial rate of
climb.
 Warm-Up!
Utilizing your notes and past knowledge answer the
following questions:

1) Describe the effect of a tailwind and headwind on an

aircraft during takeoff?
2) What is the concern of an aircraft taking off below
the recommended speed?
3) What is the concern regarding gross weight and
landing?
4) Describe the benefits and concerns with excessive
speed at landing.
5) Describe the most critical conditions of landing
performance?
 Landing Performance
• The effect of gross weight on landing distance is
one of the principal items determining the landing
distance.
 Warm-up!
Utilizing your notes and past knowledge answer the
following questions:

1) Describe the effect of a tailwind and headwind on an

aircraft during takeoff?
2) What is the concern of an aircraft taking off below
the recommended speed?
3) What is the concern regarding gross weight and
landing?
4) Describe the benefits and concerns with excessive
speed at landing.
5) Describe the most critical conditions of landing
performance?
 Landing Performance
• An excessive speed at landing may improve the
controllability slightly (especially in crosswinds),
but causes an undesirable increase in landing
distance.
 Warm-Up!
Utilizing your notes and past knowledge answer the
following questions:

1) Describe the effect of a tailwind and headwind on an

aircraft during takeoff?
2) What is the concern of an aircraft taking off below
the recommended speed?
3) What is the concern regarding gross weight and
landing?
4) Describe the benefits and concerns with excessive
speed at landing.
5) Describe the most critical conditions of landing
performance.
 Landing Performance
• The most critical conditions of landing
performance are combinations of high gross
weight, high density altitude, and unfavorable
wind.
 THIS DAY IN AVIATION
 March 27

• 1977: The
deadliest
accident in the
history of
aviation occurred
when two Boeing
747 airliners
collided on the
runway on the
island of Tenerife
in the Canary
Islands. 583
people died.
 March 27

1968: Colonel
Yuri Alekseevich
Gagarin, Pilot-
Cosmonaut of
the Soviet Union,
was killed in the
crash of a
Mikoyan-
Gurevich MiG-
15UTI two-place
trainer near the
village of
Novoselova,
Vladamir Oblast,
Russia.
 Chapter 11 – Aircraft Performance
Source: FAA – Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge 2016, etc.
 ATMOSPHERE
The atmosphere is composed of 78
percent nitrogen, 21 percent oxygen,The density of air has significant effects on
and 1 percent other gases, such as the aircraft’s performance. As air becomes
argon or helium. Most of the oxygen is
less dense, it reduces:
contained below 35,000 feet altitude.
Power, because the engine takes in less air
Thrust, because the propeller is less
efficient in thin air
Effect of Pressure, Temperature and Lift, because the thin air exerts less force
Humidity (Moisture) on Density. on the airfoils
 PERFORMANCE
to describe the ability of an aircraft to
accomplish certain things that make it
Aerodynamic useful for certain purposes.

Characteristic • Takeoff and landing

distance
s • Rate of climb
• Ceiling
VS • Payload
• Range
Powerplant • Speed
• Maneuverability
Characteristic • Stability, and
• Fuel economy.
s
Straight and Level Flight
 Climb Performance
What are the
reasons to
Positive climb performance occurs when an evaluate climb
aircraft gains PE by increasing altitude. Two performance?
basic factors, or a combination of the two
factors, contribute to positive climb
performance in most aircraft:
• The aircraft climbs (gains PE) using
excess power above that required to
maintain level flight, or
• The aircraft climbs by converting
airspeed (KE) to altitude (PE).
AOC vs ROC
AOC
ROC
Range Performance
 Take-off and Landing Performance

• Takeoff Distance is the distanced required to accelerate

from zero airspeed up to, or above, stall speed.

• The four forces are not in balance during takeoff. (next

slide)

• Acceleration equals force divided by mass

• Net force is in the direction of acceleration

• The net force is equal to thrust minus drag & frictional

force.
 Favorable Aircraft Takeoff
Conditions
• High thrust • High lift coefficient

• Low drag

• Low runway tire friction

• Low weight

• High wing area

 Takeoff Thrust

• Thrust is greatest when air density is highest

• Although higher density increased drag, the increase in thrust

is greater; the stall speed decreases

• High density, which results from high pressure & low

temperature , works favorably for takeoff
 Favorable Environmental
Takeoff Conditions
• Smooth runway surface

• Level or downhill slope

• High pressure

• Low temperature

• High headwind
 Balance Field Length

Critical engine failure speed-V1 definite criterion for decision

• Slower than V1 the pilot aborts the takeoff to stop in the

event of an engine failure

• If an engine fails faster than V1 the pilot must continue the

takeoff on remaining engines
 Balanced Field

• V2 is the distance required to stop is exactly the same as that

required to reach takeoff speed

• Balanced field length is the overall runway distance up to the

point of stopping
 Landing
• Landing in two parts- landing distance & roll distance from
touchdown to stop

• Touchdown at 15% above stall is appropriate for modern

aircraft. ***

• Deceleration is negative acceleration

• Most effective braking only reduced roll 10% than with no

braking
Landing
 Landing Conditions
• Runway surface

• L/D ratio

• Wind

• Runway slope

• Altitude (pressure & temperature)

• Weight
 CONCLUSION
• Performance characteristics and capabilities vary
greatly among aircraft.
• Moreover, aircraft weight, atmospheric conditions,
and external environmental factors can significantly
affect aircraft performance.
• It is essential that a pilot become intimately familiar
with the performance characteristics and
capabilities of the aircraft being flown.
• The primary source of this information is the
AFM/POH.
Questions / Comments