Aircraft Fuel Burn Calculator
Plan your fuel from a known burn rate in gallons per hour. Enter a flight time to get the fuel required, or enter the fuel onboard to get your endurance, and add a groundspeed to estimate still-air range. Always keep your required reserves on top of these numbers.
How to calculate aircraft fuel burn
- Enter your fuel burn rate in gallons per hour.
- Enter a flight time to get fuel required, or fuel onboard to get endurance.
- Add a groundspeed to also estimate your range.
Examples
Fuel for a planned leg
10 gph, 3.5 hr flight
35 gallons required
Endurance and range
40 gal onboard, 10 gph, 120 kt
4 hr endurance, 480 nm range
Frequently asked questions
How is fuel required calculated?
Fuel required equals the burn rate times the flight time. At 10 gallons per hour for 3.5 hours you need 35 gallons before any reserve.
How is endurance calculated?
Endurance equals the usable fuel onboard divided by the burn rate. With 40 gallons at 10 gallons per hour you have 4 hours of flying before the tanks run dry.
How is range calculated?
Range equals endurance times groundspeed. It is a still-air estimate, so wind, climb and descent will change the real distance you can cover.
Does this include a fuel reserve?
No. The numbers are total burn. Add your required day or night VFR or IFR reserve, plus taxi and any holding fuel, when you plan a real flight.
What if my burn rate changes during the flight?
This tool uses one average burn rate. Climb burns more and cruise burns less, so use a planning figure from your aircraft flight manual for the phases you expect.
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