Definition
A reference table, published in the front of FAA Terminal Procedures Publications, that converts a required climb gradient (in feet per nautical mile) into a required rate of climb (in feet per minute) for a given groundspeed. Pilots use it to determine the vertical speed they must achieve to satisfy a published climb gradient on a departure procedure or missed approach.
Plain English
A chart that tells you how many feet per minute you need to climb to meet a required climb slope, based on how fast you're moving across the ground.
Context Anchor
Seen in instrument procedure design and departure planning when a required climb per mile must be converted into a cockpit climb rate.
Derivation
Rate comes from an older word meaning a measured amount, and table refers to information arranged in rows and columns. That helps here because the term means an arranged list of measured climb values, not a table about the airplane itself.
Why Pilots Care
Confirms the aircraft can meet the minimum climb needed to clear terrain and obstacles under instrument flight rules.
Intuition Check
Do not assume this table shows only what the airplane is capable of climbing. In this context, it is mainly a conversion aid: required climb per mile and speed over the ground are turned into a required climb rate in feet per minute.
Example Sentence 1
Before departure, the pilot consulted the rate of climb table and confirmed that at 100 knots groundspeed, a 200 ft/NM climb gradient required about 333 feet per minute on the vertical speed indicator.
Example Sentence 2
Designers used the rate of climb table to set the minimum performance standards shown on the instrument departure chart.