Definition
The amount of engine power available beyond what is required to maintain level, unaccelerated flight at a given airspeed and configuration. Excess power can be used to climb, accelerate, or both — it is the surplus that allows the airplane to gain energy.
Plain English
The extra power the engine can produce above what is needed just to keep flying steadily. Whatever is left over can be used to climb, speed up, or do a bit of both.
Context Anchor
Seen when learning how pitch and power work together to manage airspeed, altitude, and climb performance.
Derivation
Excess comes from a Latin idea meaning “to go beyond.” Power means the ability to do work. In this aviation use, excess power is the power that goes beyond what the airplane needs just to keep its present flight path and speed.
Why Pilots Care
It directly governs climb performance and the ability to accelerate or gain altitude without losing airspeed, affecting both normal operations and emergency margins.
Analogy
Like a car going up a hill at a steady speed with the accelerator only halfway down. The remaining pedal travel is your excess power — push further and you can climb the hill faster, accelerate, or both.
Grounding Statement
If the airplane already has enough power to maintain its present flight, any extra power can show up as a climb, an increase in speed, or both.
Intuition Check
Excess power does not mean “too much power” or unsafe power. It means power remaining after the airplane’s current needs are met.
Example Sentence 1
At full throttle in cruise, the airplane had enough excess power to climb at 500 feet per minute without losing airspeed.
Example Sentence 2
In cruise, reducing drag creates excess power that the pilot can use to accelerate without adding throttle.