United States Air Force

Flight Engineer Training: Aircraft Performance United States Air Force

This manual outlines required material for all phases of aircraft performance. It is a source document for the basic flight engineer course. It directs new flight engineers in learning the technical language and practical application related to flight. It furnishes the experienced flight engineers with background and review information. The aircraft performance technology presented in this manual is not limited to one specific airframe. For the most part, the technical language, performance charts, and procedures are common to all transport aircraft. There are two major factors that are responsible for the differences. These are a specific aircraft's design and the way different aircraft performance procedures to support that design. These factors may make a given performance limitation critical for one aircraft and insignificant for another. The material contained in this manual provides information relative to the duties of the flight engineer, the atmosphere, aerodynamics, power plants, weight and balance, and aircraft flight performance. It also includes guidelines for mission planning.