Definition
The published performance figures for an aircraft's climb, typically including the power setting, pitch attitude, and airspeed required to achieve a specified rate of climb or climb gradient under given conditions.
Plain English
The numbers your aircraft's manual gives you for climbing: how to set the power, how high to point the nose, and what speed to fly to climb at the rate you want.
Context Anchor
Seen in instrument flying when setting up, holding, or checking a straight climb by reference to the flight instruments.
Derivation
Climb comes from an old word meaning to go upward. Data comes from Latin datum, meaning something given. In aviation, climb data means the given facts or numbers that describe the airplane’s upward performance.
Why Pilots Care
Allows pilots to select appropriate climb speeds and power settings to clear obstacles or meet ATC altitude restrictions safely and efficiently.
Intuition Check
Climb data does not mean a single climb number. It means the useful climb information taken together, such as attitude, power, airspeed, and how fast altitude is increasing.
Example Sentence 1
Before departure, the pilot reviewed the climb data in the POH to confirm the aircraft could meet the required climb gradient on the departure procedure.
Example Sentence 2
Before departure, review the climb data to ensure the aircraft can meet the required climb gradient for obstacle clearance.