Definition
A performance chart value showing how much fuel an airplane will burn, how many minutes it will take, and how many nautical miles it will cover while climbing from one altitude to a higher altitude under stated conditions. The figures are read from the manufacturer's climb performance chart and are typically based on standard temperature, a specified climb power setting and airspeed, and zero wind. To find the values for a climb between two altitudes, the pilot reads the chart at the higher (top of climb) altitude and at the starting altitude, then subtracts the lower values from the higher ones.
Plain English
It is the gas you will use, the minutes it will take, and the miles you will cover going up from one altitude to another. You look up the numbers for both altitudes on the chart and subtract to find what the climb itself will cost you.
Context Anchor
Seen in aircraft performance planning, especially when using climb and cruise charts before a flight.
Why Pilots Care
Accurate values prevent fuel exhaustion and allow realistic total flight time estimates.
Analogy
It is like planning a car trip up a long mountain road: the uphill part takes extra time, uses extra fuel, and covers a certain distance before the road levels out.
Grounding Statement
During a climb, the airplane is not just going up; it is also moving forward, burning fuel, and using time.
Intuition Check
Do not read this as total trip fuel, total trip time, or total trip distance. It applies only to the climb portion, and the numbers change with aircraft weight, altitude, temperature, and climb speed.
Example Sentence 1
Using Figure 11-25, the pilot found the fuel, time, and distance to climb from the departure airport elevation to 8,000 feet before calculating the cruise leg.
Example Sentence 2
Adding the fuel, time, and distance to climb to the cruise numbers gave the total fuel needed for the flight.