Vehicle Type: Electric Fixed Wing
To use this calculator, move your driving requirements and known variables to the inputs section using the move to input/output button. Click calculate at the bottom of the page to calculate the output variables and plot the charts.
Structure Weight (kg)
This variable cannot be moved to inputs because it can be calculated from current input variables. Click Details for more information
Weight of the frame, wires, motors, electronics, and anything else not a payload or battery
Payload Weight (kg)
Weight of the payload
Battery Weight (kg)
Weight of the batteries
Thrust To Weight Ratio ()
Maximum thrust of all of the motors divided by the total weight of the vehicle. Typcial values: Jet trainer: 0.4, Jet dogfighter: 0.9, Other jet fighter: 0.6, Military cargo/bomber: 0.25, Jet transport: 0.25 - 0.4 - Aircraft Design: A Conceptual Approach 5th ed. - Raymer p. 117.
Number of Motors ()
Number of motors/propellers
Battery Nominal Voltage (Volts)
The average voltage of the battery pack. Typically 3.7 volts per cell (S) for LiPo batteries. 1S = 3.7V, 3S = 11.1V, 4S = 14.8V, 6S = 22.2V, 8S = 29.6V
Battery Energy Density (W-h/kg)
Typically between 160 Watt-hours/kg for low end and very small LiPo battery packs, up to 220 Watt-hours/kg for high end battery packs
Propeller Diameter (meters)
Diameter of a propeller
Air Density (kg/(m^3))
Air density based on standard atmospheric conditions
Wing Reference Area (meters^2)
Reference area of the wing
Wing Span (meters)
Wing span, the length from one wing tip to the other
Wing Coefficient of Lift during Cruise ()
Wing coefficient of lift during cruise. Usually near the best lift/drag ratio of the wing. Typically between 0.8 and 1.1. Find your airfoil data at airfoiltools.com
Coefficient of drag of the aircraft ()
Coefficient of drag of the aircraft. Usually in the range of 0.01 to 0.1.
Lift to Drag Ratio of the aircraft during cruise ()
Wing Coefficient of Lift during Cruise. Usually near the best lift/drag ratio of the wing. About 11 for fixed-gear prop aircraft, 14 for retractable prop aircraft (Blake's rough estimate - between 5 and 10 for homebuilt RC planes) - Aircraft Design: A Conceptual Approach 5th ed. - Raymer p. 36, 120.
Zero Lift Drag Coefficient ()
A correction factor that represents the change in drag with lift of a three-dimensional wing or airplane, as compared with an ideal wing having the same aspect ratio and an elliptical lift distribution. 0.014 - 0.020 for high subsonic jet aircraft, 0.018 - 0.024 for large turboprops, 0.022 - 0.028 for twin engine piston aircraft, 0.020 - 0.030 for small single engine aircraft, retractable gear, 0.025 - 0.040 for small single engine aircraft, fixed gear, 0.06 for agricultural aircraft without spray system, 0.070 - 0.080 for agricultural aircraft with spray system. - Synthesis of Subsonic Airplane Design by E. Torenbeek
Wing Taper Ratio ()
Ratio between the tip chord and the root chord. Most wings of low sweep have a taper ratio between 0.4 - 0.5. Most swept wings have taper ratios between 0.2 - 0.3. A taper ratio of 0.4 is ideal for most unswept wings. - Aircraft Design: A Conceptual Approach 5th ed. - Raymer p. 83
Maximum Wing Lift Coefficient ()
Maximum coefficient of lift of the wing. Usually between 1.2 - 1.5
Oswald Span Efficiency Factor ()
A correction factor that represents the change in drag with lift of a three-dimensional wing or airplane, as compared with an ideal wing having the same aspect ratio and an elliptical lift distribution. Typically 0.6 to 0.8 for fighter aircraft and 0.8 for other aircraft.
Vertical Tail Volume Coefficient ()
Vertical tail volume coefficient, used to estimate tail sizing. Typical values: Sailplane: 0.02, Homebuilt: 0.04, General aviation single engine: 0.04, General aviation twin engine: 0.07, Agricultural: 0.04, Military cargo/bomber: 0.08 - Aircraft Design: A Conceptual Approach - Raymer p. 160.
Wing QC to Vertical Tail QC Distance (meters)
Distance between the wing's mean aerodynamic chord quarter chord and the vertical tail's mean aerodynamic chord quarter chord. - Aircraft Design: A Conceptual Approach - Raymer p. 158.
Vertical Tail Aspect Ratio ()
Horizontal tail span divided by the mean aerodynamic chord. Typical Values: Fighter: 0.6 - 1.4, Sailplane 1.5 - 2.0, Other aircraft: 1.3 - 2.0, T-tail: 0.7 - 1.2 -- Aircraft Design: A Conceptual Approach 5th Ed. - Raymer p. 113.
Vertical Tail Taper Ratio ()
Vertical tail tip chord divided by the root chord. Typical Values: Fighter: 0.2 - 0.4, Sailplane 0.4 - 0.6, Other aircraft: 0.3 - 0.6, T-tail: 0.6 - 1 -- Aircraft Design: A Conceptual Approach 5th Ed. - Raymer p. 113.
Horizontal Tail Volume Coefficient ()
Horizontal tail volume coefficient, used to estimate tail sizing. Typical values: Sailplane: 0.50, Homebuilt: 0.50, General aviation single engine: 0.70, General aviation twin engine: 0.80, Agricultural: 0.50, Military cargo/bomber: 1.0 - Aircraft Design: A Conceptual Approach 5th Ed. - Raymer p. 160.
Wing QC to Horizontal Tail QC Distance (meters)
Distance between the wing's mean aerodynamic chord quarter chord and the horizontal tail's mean aerodynamic chord quarter chord. - Aircraft Design: A Conceptual Approach 5th Ed. - Raymer p. 158.
Horizontal Tail Aspect Ratio ()
Horizontal tail span divided by the mean aerodynamic chord. Typical Values: Fighter: 3 - 4, Sailplane 6 - 10, Other aircraft: 3 - 5 - Aircraft Design: A Conceptual Approach 5th Ed. - Raymer p. 113.
Horizontal Tail Taper Ratio ()
Horizontal tail tip chord divided by the root chord. Typical Values: Fighter: 0.2 - 0.4, Sailplane 0.3 - 0.5, Other aircraft: 0.3 - 0.6 - Aircraft Design: A Conceptual Approach 5th Ed. - Raymer p. 113.
Total Weight (kg)
Total weight of the vehicle, including structure, payload and battery weights
Total Thrust (Newtons)
Maximum thrust of all of the motors combined
Max Thrust Per Motor (Newtons)
Maximum thrust of a single motor
Cruise Thrust Per Motor (Newtons)
Cruise Thrust (Newtons)
Thrust generated by the motor(s) during cruise
Lift Force during Cruise (Newtons)
Lift force during cruise
Battery Power Capacity (Watt-hours)
The power capacity of the battery pack, measured in Watt-hours
Battery Capacity (Amp-hours)
The capacity of the battery pack, measured in Amp-hours
Propeller Advance Ratio ()
Ratio of the freestream fluid speed to the propeller tip speed. When a propeller-driven vehicle is moving at high speed relative to the fluid, or the propeller is rotating slowly, the advance ratio of its propeller(s) is a high number; and when it is moving at low speed, or the propeller is rotating at high speed, the advance ratio is a low number. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advance_ratio
Propeller RPM ()
Rotational speed of the propeller in revolutions per minute
Propeller Cruise Thrust Efficiency (Newtons/Watt)
A measure of how many Newtons of thrust the propeller generates per Watt of shaft power. Increases with propeller diameter and lower motor RPMs.
Cruise Power Consumption (Watts)
Power draw from the batteries when in a stable cruise
Cruise Amp Draw (Amps)
Current draw from the batteries when in a stable cruise
Cruise Flight Time (minutes)
Estimated flight time in a stable cruise
Cruise Range (meters)
Estimated range of the aircraft. This assumes the takeoff and landing require negligible power.
Cruise Velocity (meters/second)
Stall Speed (meters/second)
Maximum coefficient of lift of the wing. Usually around 1 - 1.5
Altitude (meters)
Estimated operating altitude based on standard atmospheric conditions
Dynamic Pressure (Newtons / meters^2)
Dynamic pressure
Wing Mean Aerodynamic Chord (meters)
The average chord length of the wing. Chord is the measurement from the leading edge to the trailing edge.
Drag Reference Area (meters^2)
Reference area used in the drag calculations. By default frontal area is the reference area.
Drag Force during Cruise (Newtons)
Drag force on the aircraft during cruise. When in steady level flight, this equals thrust.
Wing Loading during Cruise (Newtons / meters^2)
Wing loading is the weight of the aircraft divided by the area of the reference wing. Typical values: Sailplane: 294, Homebuilt: 529, General aviation single engine: 814, General aviation twin engine: 1245, Twin turboprop: 1912, Jet trainer: 2393, Jet fighter: 3354, Jet transport/bomber: 5747 - Aircraft Design: A Conceptual Approach 5th ed. - Raymer p. 125
Wing Tip Chord (meters)
Wing Root Chord (meters)
Wing Aspect Ratio ()
Wing span squared divided by the wing area. Typical aspect ratios: Homebuilt: 6, General aviation single engine: 7.6, General aviation twin engine: 7.8, Sailplane: 8 - 30+
Wing MAC Distance to Root Chord ()
Distance from the wing's mean aerodynamic chord to the wing root chord
Wing Loading for Max Range (Newtons/meter^2)
Wing Loading which will maximize the range of the aircraft. Note that this may come at the cost of higher stall speed or other performance issues.
Wing Loading for Max Loiter (Newtons/meter^2)
Vertical Tail Area (meters^2)
Vertical tail's area. (not the surface area, the area if the tail is projected on a 2D plane)
Vertical Tail Span (meters)
Distance between the vertical tail tip chord and the vertical tail root chord
Vertical Tail MAC (meters)
Vertical Tail Root Chord (meters)
Vertical Tail Tip Chord (meters)
Horizontal Tail Area (meters^2)
Horizontal tail's area. (not the surface area, the area if the tail is projected on a 2D plane)
Horizontal Tail Span (meters)
Horizontal Tail MAC (meters)
Mean aerodynamic chord length of the horizontal tail
Horizontal Tail Root Chord (meters)
Horizontal Tail Tip Chord (meters)