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Useful Load & Endurance Planner

See how pilot, passenger, baggage and fuel affect what your aircraft can realistically do.

USEFUL LOAD & ENDURANCE PLANNER

See what your aircraft can realistically do

Enter your aircraft, who and what you're carrying, and your fuel planning settings. This tool turns useful load into passenger, fuel and endurance information — it does not calculate centre of gravity and is not a go/no-go decision.

v1.2
Version history (3)
  • v1.2 2026-08-12
    • Added an optional "Actual fuel on board" field in Fuel planning. Leave it blank and Mode 1 still shows the maximum fuel the loading permits; fill it in and Mode 1 instead reports the real mass, endurance and margin for that specific amount — flagged clearly if it doesn't actually fit the tank or MAUW rather than silently capped.
    • Added a "Which mode do I need?" explainer above the mode tabs, and sharpened each mode panel's own intro line to state the question it answers up front.
    • Added a plain-English sentence beneath the PLANNING MARGIN / LIMITED MARGIN / DOES NOT FIT badge on every mode, since that wording is deliberately flat (brief's critical-safety-language requirement) and needed a line explaining what it actually means.
  • v1.1 2026-08-12
    • Results card now carries a colour accent (green/amber/red) and a larger status badge with a ✓/⚠/✕ icon across all three modes, including Mode 1 which previously had no status indicator at all.
    • Colour is always paired with the existing text label — never used on its own to carry the result.
  • v1.0 2026-08-12
    • Initial release: Mode 1 (how long can we fly), Mode 2 (can we fly this mission) and Mode 3 (maximum passenger/student weight).
    • G-IGET (SkyRanger Nynja) preloaded as the example aircraft; full custom-aircraft manager (create/edit/delete/select, saved locally, default never overwritten).
    • Pilot/passenger weight entry in kg, stones+lb or lb; other-load tracking with quick-add categories.
    • Fuel planning: 30/45/custom reserve plus a separate additional planning allowance in minutes or litres.
    • "Where your useful load goes" visual, Passenger/Student Weight Explorer, instructor mode, and a Weight & Balance reminder link.

Switches "Passenger" to "Student" and prioritises maximum student weight. The calculation rules stay the same.

1

Aircraft

Select the example aircraft or your own, then verify every figure.

2

People

Pilot and passenger weights. Choose whichever unit is easiest to enter.

Pilot weight
Passenger weight
3

Other load

Include anything carried for the flight that is not already included in the aircraft's documented empty mass.

Total other load 0.0 kg

Do not double-count equipment already included in the aircraft's documented empty mass.

Which mode do I need?
  • Mode 1 — "What's the most flying time I can get out of this loading?" No extra input needed; it uses what you've already entered above.
  • Mode 2 — "Will a flight of a specific length actually fit?" You tell it the duration; it tells you if it fits.
  • Mode 3 — "How heavy a passenger/student can I add?" You tell it the duration; it tells you the maximum weight.
i

How long can we fly?

Answers "what's the longest flight this loading allows?" Uses the aircraft, people and other load entered above, plus the fuel planning settings below — no extra input needed here.

Results appear in the panel on the right: maximum fuel that can be carried, total theoretical endurance, and the flight time available before your entered reserve. Want to check a specific fuel amount instead of the maximum? Use "Actual fuel on board" in the Fuel planning section below.

4

Fuel planning

This is a planning aid, not a regulatory compliance check.

Consider weather, routing, delays, diversion requirements, aircraft performance and other reasonably expected contingencies when determining the fuel required for an actual flight.

Leave this blank and Mode 1 shows the maximum fuel this loading permits. Fill it in and Mode 1 instead shows the real mass, endurance and margin for that specific amount — useful for "I'm only putting in this much today" planning. This field only affects Mode 1; Modes 2 and 3 work from a desired flight duration instead.

Where your useful load goes

Based on the aircraft, people and other load entered above, at the maximum fuel that can be carried.

Passenger Weight Explorer

Automatically generated from the current pilot weight, aircraft, other load and fuel planning settings — the passenger/student weight is the only thing that changes down this table. Results here judge whether the entered reserve is still met, not any specific mission duration.

Passenger Maximum fuel Time before reserve Result

Checked the useful load? Now confirm the CG.

This tool does not calculate centre of gravity. An aircraft can be below MAUW while still being outside its approved CG limits — confirm separately before flight.

Open Weight & Balance Calculator →

Why useful load matters

An aircraft's maximum authorised weight does not tell you how much it can actually carry. Useful load is the difference between the aircraft's empty mass and its maximum authorised mass — pilot, passenger, baggage, equipment and fuel all consume that useful load. A lighter aircraft with a lower MAUW can sometimes offer more useful load than a heavier aircraft with a higher MAUW, so always use the figures for the exact aircraft you're flying.

Planning aid only

This calculator uses the aircraft, loading, fuel-consumption and planning assumptions you enter. It does not replace the aircraft's approved Weight and Balance Schedule, AFM/POH, flight planning, fuel planning or pilot-in-command judgement. Actual fuel consumption can differ from planned consumption — consider weather, wind, routing, delays, diversion requirements, aircraft performance and other reasonably expected contingencies when determining the fuel required. Always use current approved data for the exact aircraft being flown. See the UK CAA's fuel and oil supply requirements (NCO.OP.125) for the current regulatory position — this tool does not itself determine compliance.

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